Canandé Lodge is located in Esmeraldas Province of northwestern Ecuador, two hours from the town of Pedro Vicente Maldonado. The lodge is situated at about 300m altitude—an ideal setting to experience humid Chocó tropical forest.
There are 62 species of birds endemic to the Chocó eco-region. Of those, 37 can be found in the Canandé Reserve. Species of interest include the Scarlet-breasted Dacnis, Golden-chested Tanager, Rose-faced Parrot, Great Green Macaw, Long-wattled Umbrellabird, Banded Ground-Cuckoo, Yellow-green Bush-Tanager, Sapayoa, Black-and-white Hawk-Eagle, Chocó Poorwill, White-tipped Cotinga, Great Jacamar, Plumbeous Forest-falcon, Baudo Guan, Black-tipped Cotinga, and Scarlet-thighed Dacnis.
Camera traps have also revealed there are populations of four feline species in the reserve: Jaguar, Puma, Ocelot and Margay, as well as Pecaries and Red Deer, plus three species of monkeys: Howler monkeys, Brown-headed Spider monkeys and White Capuchins.