The Taita Hills Wildlife Conservancy is named after the surrounding hill clusters and is a part of the Eastern Arc forests, which are designated as a biodiversity hotspot. Consisting of 28,000 acres of mosaic habitat, the conservancy's vegetation formation is typically dense, stratified, and always dominated by Acacia/Commiphora trees, which may appear to be evergreen in wet areas like the sanctuary's central lowlands.

As a wildlife dispersion and migration corridor between Tsavo East National Park and Tsavo West National Park, the sanctuary, which borders the Southern Tsavo West National Park, is both an ecologically significant and highly prized tourist recreational area. With a seasonal river splitting the sanctuary between valleys and lowland plains, the geography is primarily hilly, providing breathtaking views of the Kilimanjaro, Pare, Uluguru, and Taita Hill groups.