Krasnodar Krai encompasses the western part of the Forecaucasus and a part of the northern slopes of Caucasus Major. Krasnodar Krai borders, clockwise from the west, Ukraine-from which it is separated by the Strait of Kerch and the Sea of Azov-Russia's Rostov Oblast, Stavropol Krai, and the Karachay-Cherkess Republic, and Georgia's breakaway republic of Abkhazia. The krai territory encompasses the Republic of Adygea. Krasnodar Krai's southern border is formed by what is left of Russia's Black Sea coast, with the most important port (Novorossiysk) and resort (Sochi) in this part of the country.

Geographically, the area is split by the Kuban River into two distinct parts. The southern, seaward third (historically known as Circassia) is the western extremity of the Caucasus range, lying within the Crimean Submediterranean forest complex ecoregion; the climate is Mediterranean or, in the south-east, subtropical. The northern two-thirds lies on the Pontic Steppe and shares continental climate patterns. The largest lake is Abrau in the wine-making region of Abrau-Dyurso.