Run a Café in the Mountains

Ever dreamt of running a cozy little café or restaurant in the Himalayas?

Here’s the chance to make that dream a reality, and for a good cause! Meet and host intrepid travelers from across the globe in spaces that radiate good vibes and soul. Make the cash register ring and wait tables. Help us sell the best coffee, bakes, and local produce in Kaza! Surrounded always by friendly faces, the aromatic scent of coffee, and great music – this could just be the mountain workspace of your dreams! Come create unforgettable memories for travelers and for yourself at this heart and hearth of Kaza.

Volunteer at Sol Café – a social enterprise café started by Ecosphere in 2012 that today is the place to visit in Kaza!
Or Volunteer at Taste of Spiti, a restaurant and B&B that offers a fusion of traditional Spitian food and world cuisine.
Help make the cash register ring by waiting tables, selling local produce and room nights, along with manning the front desk
Come sharpen your hospitality skills and kick up a conversation with intrepid travelers from around the world, while experiencing life like a local in Spiti
Add to the warmth and wonder of Kaza’s best coffee and food places
Help sell (and also sample) specialty teas, handmade chocolates, bakes from around the world, and the best coffee in town!
Discover and promote delicious food with the goodness of traditional Spitian ingredients – Black pea Hummus, Himalayan Garden Burger, and beverages made from the wonder berry Seabuckthorn
Share your love for food – create exciting new dishes for our menu and train our local chefs. Cook, eat, and serve a good cause!
Apart from having a great time running Sol and Taste of Spiti and getting a hands-on experience on how to run a Café & Restaurant, you will also be directly helping to support several development projects that are funded from the revenue of these two places

May to Oct

1 month

₹16,500.00

Get a taste of running a café and restaurant in the Indian Himalayas! Wait tables, sell local produce, and chat with fellow travelers at this hearth and heart of Kaza.

Sol Cafe

Sol Café was started in 2012 when a bunch of volunteers passionate about baking, coffee and all things good, put their hearts and culinary skills together to create Sol – a social enterprise Café. Today it has become a must-visit in Kaza. Sol is a lounge for travellers to meet, exchange stories, and plan their travels while enjoying great food and music. Today, Sol Café offers the best coffees in town (truly J – some customers have told us it’s the best coffee they’ve ever had!), specialty teas, handmade chocolates, rum balls, waffles and fresh bakes from across the world. You will find dishes here from around the world introduced by volunteers. You will also find that the café exudes a Soul – a soul pieced together by all the volunteers who have each left a part of themselves behind to make it truly an amazing space and concept. If you love baking/cooking, or love meeting and interacting with interesting travellers from around the world – come join our ever-growing family of Sol Stars!

Taste of Spiti

Taste of Spiti was started in 2014 by volunteers along similar lines, to showcase all things local and Spiti. Taste of Spiti is a restaurant in Kaza that provides travelers with a fusion of traditional Spiti food and ingredients with world cuisine. The food on offer here is unlike any other in Kaza, from sumptuous falafels with black pea hummus to hearty local pastas with an Italian twist! Our most popular dishes on the menu are the Himalayan Garden Burger made from local black peas and our Miracle Berry Tea. The restaurant isn’t just another place to dine but aims to offer insights into and promote local ingredients and cuisine. Additionally, the interiors of Taste of Spiti – from the lights to the salt & pepper shakers – are handcrafted from waste in Spiti. So if you’re someone who enjoys fusion food, loves cooking, or passionate about up-cycling waste, interiors, art, or painting, come join us!

Minimum commitment:

If you feel you can run Sol Café / Taste of Spiti and contribute your ideas and skills to further enhance these spaces for upto a month (excluding travel time), we would love to have you over!

Accommodation & Meals:

Your stay and meals will be in Kaza with us. You will be sharing a room (with 2 to 3 volunteers) with an attached toilet.

Please note:

You are expected to have a good level of commitment while volunteering with Ecosphere.
Volunteers are treated as team members and not as clients. So if you expect otherwise or have any concerns do let us know beforehand or speak with the Ecosphere management team immediately. If it is within our means we will do our best to address your concern. If we feel that you do not fit, you will be requested to leave.
If you’re keen to travel around Spiti, please keep a few extra days before or after your volunteering period.
The start date is the date of arrival and the end date is the date of departure.
Being a social enterprise with a limited financial outlay we are unable to support your accommodation and meals. To cover the cost of your stay and food a nominal amount is charged.