Armenian Hiking & Mountaineering Federation Yerevan – AHMF

It happens often that tourists who got lost in Yerevan looking for the nonexistent tourism information center, search for it online, and find this place instead, which is actually a multi-purpose spot, a kind of a mountaineers's hub, a semi-underground meeting place of those who are really into mountains, not pretending it. Whenever you come by, you'll meet someone somehow connected to either climbing, or hiking, or something like that, looking for his/her new gear in the shop (which is the first thing you see when you enter), or giving/getting some training in the small hall behind the shop desk.

If you're a really close friend of the core team here, you might also know that there's a temporary luggage storage and even a small hostel facility here, which altogether magically fit in this not very big space. If you're lucky you might bump into very famous mountaineers in this place, not only Armenians, just any! It's happened to me a few times already.

It also operates as a kick-starter for those who are new to the field, who need information or other kind of support. Their trainings are free of charge but require strict discipline: a nice trick to ensure there's less to worry about when people get to visit mountains after all. A number of famous brands are represented here, so you don't have to carry all your hiking/trekking/camping gear with you when visiting Armenia. Most of the team are rescuers as well.

Don't miss out this place!