The reserve is located in the north-eastern part of the Sikhote-Alin mountain range; it includes the Botchi River basin on its eastern slopes.

The reserve is about 120 km south of the port city of Sovetskaya Gavan in the Sovetsko-Gavansky District of Khabarovsk Krai.

[2] Botcha is located in the Ussuri broadleaf and mixed forests ecoregion, which centers on the middle Amur River basin, in the Russian Far East.

This climate is characterized by large swings in temperature, both diurnally and seasonally, with mild summers and cold, snowy winters.

There are three 'ecotourist' routes in the reserve, however, that are open to the public, but these require permits to be obtained in advance and capacity is very limited (generally two groups of ten per month).