How the Indiahikes Green Dhaba Project is Changing the Trekking Landscape

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.