[1] It is on the upper reaches of the Taz River, on the east-central edge of the West Siberian Plain, about 700 km north of the city of Tomsk.

The reserve is one of the largest in Russia, and is an important spawning ground for fish such as salmon and trout, and also protects fur-bearing animals such as the sable and ermine.

The terrain is typical of the Upper Taz hills: hilly moraine ridges (on average 50 meters), in a strongly dissected landscape of rivers and streams.

The Upper Taz reserve includes the highest point in the surrounding Siberian Uvaly, at 285 meters above sea level.

[6] The most common mammals are brown bear, otter, American mink, ermine, and fox; the moose population in the territory numbers perhaps 300 individuals.

The upper reaches of the Taz escaped most logging, and forest animals of the Euro-Asian boundaries have found refuge in isolated areas.