Most of the reserve is established in the drainage area of the Toa River, which flows for 118 km (73 mi) to the Atlantic Ocean in Baracoa.

Engaged in forestry, traditional agriculture (coffee, coconut, and cacao) and ecotourism, they also raise cattle and participate in nickel, chromium, iron and cobalt mining.

These activities had increased negative impacts in the carrying capacity of the ecosystems, one of the main problems the reserve faces today.

It is twinned with the Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve in Chiapas, Mexico, due to similar environmental conditions and resource management.

It surrounds the Alejandro de Humboldt National Park and also contains El Yunque table mountain, the Infierno Creek with a 300-metre (980 ft) waterfall, the Great Cave of Moa (Gran Caverna de Moa) and the Bay of Taco, north of Baracoa.