Drumkul lies some 75 km east of the provincial capital of Khorog, in the northern part of the Shugnanskiy ridge of the Pamir Mountains. The area has a semi-arid climate. The lake is 3345 m above sea level and was formed by damming the Dumdara River, a tributary of the Shohdara river, which is fed by meltwater from the glaciers of the Rushan ridge.