[2] The Kodar Mountains are part of the Stanovoy Highlands, which range from the northern tip of Lake Baikal to the Olyokma River.

3,072 meters (10,079 ft) high Pik BAM (Baikal Amur Magistral) is the highest summit of the range and the Stanovoy Highlands, as well as of Zabaykalsky Krai.

Some sources claim that neighboring Pik Martena, rising 8 kilometers (5.0 mi) to the WSW, beyond the border, is the highest point of Irkutsk Oblast.

[3][6] The area experiences a subarctic climate, with the Siberian High resulting in very low temperatures and precipitation from November to March.

Meteorological measurements taken in 1960s reported between 850 and 1,000 millimeters (33 and 39 in) of precipitation a year at an elevation of 2,500 meters (8,200 ft), with 50 percent falling as snow.