The Cotacachi-Cayapas Ecological Reserve (RECC) was created in the year 1968 to help preserve Ecuador's part of the Chocó biogrographic region, known as the wettest spot on earth. Stretching from Imbabura to Esmeraldas Province, the RECC encompasses 204,420 hectares of land and 11 different life zones-more than any other protected area in Ecuador.

Not surprisingly, the RECC and its buffer zone also boast an exceedingly high biodiversity: more than 2,107 species of plants and 1,178 species of vertebrates. There are 201 species of orchids recorded in the area, including 171 that are endemic. As many as 841 species of birds are believed to inhabit the area including 96 endemics. These birds Crax rubra, Ara ambiguous, Harpis harpyja and Penelope ortoni.

124 species of amphibians and 111 species of reptiles are known in the area, among them, Caiman crocodylus. There are as many as 139 species of mammals, including the elusive Ateles fusciceps fusciceps. Although the area registers only 39 species of fish, all are endemic.

Much of the RECC and its buffer zone are poorly studied and unknown. Many of the area's specialized habitats are found only in the buffer zone, including the area of the Kumanii Lodge, and not within the actual boundaries of the reserve. This is one more reason why it is so important to promote environmentally friendly tourism in the Ecuadorian Chocó, before it is lost forever.