Our Story
Established in 2008, Ashish Phookan – with his wife, Jahnabi – reincarnated his father’s pioneering ecotourism lodge of the 1970s, Kamrup Komplex, into its present avatar as Diphlu River Lodge.
Like Kamrup Komplex, the lodge was purposely built to blend into the surrounding foliage and terrain. Its thatch-and-bamboo cottages on stilts are inspired by the simple architecture of Mishing tribal homes and the unique weaves and artefacts that adorn the lodge are handmade by local artisans.
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Committed to responsible tourism, Diphlu River Lodge takes great care to ensure that nature, the wild and local communities always come first – this means recycling our greywater, providing hospitality training to young boys and girls from neighbouring villages, starting an in-house women’s weaving unit, and subscribing to a low light and noise policy within the lodge premises, among other initiatives.
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In recognition of our excellent levels of service and comfort of accommodation, Lonely Planet Magazine adjudged Diphlu River Lodge as the 2nd best wildlife resort in India, with Oberoi Vanyavilas ranking 1st and Taj Mahua Kothi ranking 3rd after Diphlu River Lodge.
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Additionally, Diphlu River Lodge is consistently ranked among the top 10% of hotels worldwide by Tripadvisor, winning their Travellers' Choice Award year after year.
Diphlu River Lodge is associated with the Responsible Tourism Society of India – the peak advocacy body for responsible tourism in the country – and Centre of Responsible Travel (CREST) Worldwide – an international policy-oriented research organization dedicated to increasing the global impact of responsible tourism.