Last week, something significant unfolded at one of the dhabas on the Hampta Pass trek. A short video taken there made its way to our team in Bangalore.
And this one moment on the trail suddenly put the spotlight on something bigger we’ve been working on. A project we’ve been nurturing quietly, slope by slope.
And it’s time we told you about the thought behind it.
Let’s go back a bit.
What is the Indiahikes Green Dhaba Project?
The Indiahikes Green Dhaba Project is an initiative we started this year, in the first quarter of 2025, as part of our Green Trails initiative.
It began with a simple question:
How can we solve the problem of waste generated by dhabas on trails?
Because let’s face it — dhabas are an inevitable reality on any popular trail.
They’re always tucked along trails, where trekkers stop for quick snacks. They’re a good source of income for the local community. But increasingly, we began noticing how these little stalls were also becoming hubs of plastic waste. Not because the locals didn’t care — but because trekkers kept asking for chips, biscuits, and packaged food.
And when there’s demand, there’s supply.
but that supply comes at a cost to the very mountains we’re trekking in, with tonnes of unmanaged, non-recyclable plastic waste.
That’s where the Indiahikes Green Dhaba Project was born — from the hope that dhabas could change, they could stop adding to the mountain of waste, and instead, could enhance the experience of trekkers.
The Indiahikes Green Dhaba Project: A Small Idea, With a Larger Vision
Let us be clear:
This project is not a mere one-time campaign. It is trying to bring about a mental shift, one that comes from collaboration, not enforcement.
The Indiahikes Green Dhaba Project is a gentle shift — one that comes from collaboration, not enforcement. It’s about walking up to the dhaba owner and simply asking:
- “Can we use steel plates instead of disposables?”
- “Can we not stock plastic bottles?”
- “Can we shift to local cuisine?”
- “Can we segregate our waste (for recyclable, non-recyclable and landfill)?”
- “Can we keep this space clean — inside and out?”
- “Can we deposit the waste at our base camp?”
Surprisingly, the answers are usually a yes for one (or more) of these questions.
Sometimes a hesitant yes, sometimes a proud one.
But a yes, nonetheless.
And that’s what gives us hope.
There’s one more thought we’ve been sitting with — something that ties deeply into the larger vision we’re working towards.
We often think of a trek as just an escape into the mountains — a chance to be with nature. But it’s so much more than that.
A trek is also a deep cultural experience. Every trail carries stories — of people, of food, of history. Yet, we rarely pause to connect with that side of the journey. And local cuisine especially plays such a big role in that immersion. It tells us what grows there, what people eat every day, and what warmth tastes like in the mountains.
Why It Matters?
Because these dhabas don’t wrap up when our treks do.
They remain long after the trekkers leave. Long after the slope teams wind up for the season. That means if change takes root here, it’ll last.
And it’s already beginning to.
Take Baldev, for instance — a shopkeeper on the Hampta Pass trail.
He now doesn’t sell packaged food to Indiahikes trekkers; his reason is simple:
“It spreads garbage.”
And that was reason enough for him to stop.
When someone makes even a 1% change, without being told — that’s not small. That’s transformational.
The Three Levels of a Green Dhaba
The beauty of this project is how simply it unfolds — in three levels:
Level 1 is where we begin.
The dhaba owner starts depositing waste with us at our basecamp. They’ve set up a basic segregation system — separating recyclable, non-recyclable, and landfill waste. And just as important, the area around the dhaba stays clean. It’s no longer a plastic hotspot.
Level 2 goes a step deeper.
Here, the dhaba begins to offer a slice of the region’s culture through its food to Indiahikes trekkers.
Level 3 is where it all comes together.
At this stage, the dhaba becomes a place of pride — no packaged food, only local food, served to every trekker who stops by, not just Indiahikes. It’s no longer just a food stall. It’s a living part of the trek — rooted in sustainability and local culture.
So, what makes a dhaba a Green Dhaba?
When a dhaba aligns with a few simple, but important practices — like switching to reusables, avoiding packaged food, and managing waste responsibly — we recognise their efforts by certifying them as Green Dhabas.
And this isn’t just a title. It’s a commitment, both from their side and ours. Once certified, we actively direct our Indiahikes trekkers to these dhabas — making sure the right actions are encouraged, and their effort doesn’t go unnoticed — it gets rewarded, right there on the trail.
The Reality on Ground
Now let’s come back to the present.
Like all other slopes, at Hampta Pass, our Trek Leaders and Guides have been nudging this forward — no instructions, no mandates. Just steady, honest conversations with the right intention. And that’s where the real change lies.
When someone asked why locals still sell packaged food, the answer was candid:
“Because trekkers ask for it.”
It’s not that locals don’t want to serve their cuisine — they’d much rather. But when there’s a demand for chips and biscuits, what choice do they have? This is, after all, their livelihood.
And yet, people like Baldev are choosing differently. Choosing consciously.
That quiet shift? That’s the kind of change we dream of.
A Word of Gratitude
This project didn’t start overnight. It took root when Lakshmi, our Head of Green Trails, first asked:
“Can we turn our dhabas into models of sustainability?”
From there, our teams took that idea and made it real.
And today, it’s showing. One dhaba at a time. One trek at a time.
So if you're trekking with us, you can be a proud participant in this project. Green dhaba owners do not serve Indiahikes trekkers in disposable cutlery. They offer local cuisine to our trekkers, and not the typical “pahaadon waali Maggi.” So if you're choosing a Green Dhaba, you can be proud that you're not adding to litter on trails.