Nagarjunasagar spreads over five districts, Nalgonda, Mahaboobnagar, Kurnool, Prakasam and Guntur, in Andhra Pradesh state of India. The Krishna river flows through the Reserve over a distance of 130 km. The multipurpose reservoirs, Srisailam and Nagarjunasagar, which are important sources of irrigation and power in the State are located in the Reserve. The reservoirs and temples of Srisailam are major attraction for a number of tourists and pilgrims from all over the country and abroad.

The area is hilly, considerably varying from plains to precipitous cliffs. High hills, deep valleys and gorges are characteristic features. More than 80 per cent of the area is gently rolling to hilly. The hill ranges contain number of plateau of which Amrabad, Srisailam, Peddacheruvu, Sivapuram, Nekkanti are note worthy.

Nagarjunasagar receives rains from South-West monsoon as well as North-East monsoon. The South-West monsoon is active from second half of June to end September. After a dry spell of one month during October, North-East monsoon becomes active.

The Wildlife is generally confined to plateaues during monsoon and in valleys during summer. The perennial water sources are generally located in the valleys and the plateaus suffer from acute scarcity for water during summer.

The River Krishna is the oldest river in the country, which has cut its basin almost 200 m deep. Many water falls such as Ethipothala, Pedda Dukudu, Gundam and Chaleswaram are amazingly beautiful.