It is located in Nkhotakota District, north of the town of Mbobo.

[1] The wildlife refuge lies on the western edge of the East African Rift, and Chipata Mountain is part of a north-south belt of hills, mountains, and escarpments that form the western boundary of the rift.

To the west is the Central Region Plateau, also known as the Lilongwe Plain.

Miombo woodland is the predominant vegetation on the mountain.

[3] Chipata Camp a visitor-serving campground on the mountain's southeastern slope.