Bafra is situated in the western part of Samsun Province. The city is located 52 km to the northwest of Samsun City Center and adjacent to Atakum. The town located just east of Bafra is Ondokuzmayis, with the northern boundary of the city facing the Black Sea, Alcam lies to the west, and to the south are Kavak, Havza, and Vezirköprü.
Bafra is located in the Bafra Plain, positioned within the Kizilirmak delta. South of the city lie the Küre Mountains. The tallest of these nearby peaks is Mount Nebiyan, standing at 1224 m high. The Küre Mountains are the continuation of the Canik Mountains. The Kizilirmak River is the longest river in Turkey and the largest in Bafra. The river arrives at the plain by traversing these mountains via a deep valley. The Kizilirmak River completely formed the Bafra Plain through its sediment.
Kizilirmak measures 1151 km in length. The river starts at Kizil Mountain in Sivas and travels in a broad curve through Central Anatolia before reaching the Black Sea to the north of Bafra. The region experiences its rainy season from April to July, when floods frequently happen.