[3] The catchment area extends from alpine grasslands of the Southern Highlands to mangrove wetlands of the mouth at Papua Gulf.

The Kikori arises at the confluence of the Hegigio with the Mubi (river) or Digimu, into which Lake Kutubu drained.

The Kikori river basin is home to large oil and gas fields that have been mined since the 1990s.

A pipeline for oil and gas transport ( Papua New Guinea LNG Project) runs in the Kikori River system from Lake Kutubu over to Papua Gulf.

Mount Bosavi, which is well known in this respect, lies on the western edge of the Kikori river basin.