The Iwokrama Forest is nearly 371,000 hectares (1 million acres) of central Guyana located in the heart of the Guiana Shield, one of the four last pristine tropical forests in the world, (Congo, Papua New Guinea, and Amazonia being the others). It represents an important transition zone in rainfall, landforms, human histories and biological communities.

At its widest, the area is 85 km (53 mi.), and the greatest extent in a north-south direction is 80km (50 mi.). The Georgetown-Lethem Road dissects the Forest, traversing about 72km (45 mi.) between the northeastern and southern boundaries. The Forest lies between 4 and 5 degrees north latitude and 58.5 and 59.5 degrees west longitude.

The Iwokrama Forest is bordered to the west by the Pakaraima Mountains and to the east by the isolated highlands scattered through central-east Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana. It is also bordered by savannahs in the southwest and northeast of Guyana and southwestern Suriname.

The area is covered with lowland tropical forest, and dominated by tall tropical trees with a dense canopy 20-30 metres (66-98 feet) high.

At 1000 metres (3,281 ft.) high, the Iwokrama Mountains form the geographic focal point of the Iwokrama Forest. They once provided a "place of refuge" for the Macushi people. The Iwokrama International Centre for Rain Forest Conservation and Development and the Forest are named after this striking formation.