Is Armenia Safe for Travel?

If you are thinking of traveling to Armenia, like any reasonable person you are concerned about safety, and want to know what precautions you should take. Some people might be a little concerned about Armenia in particular, since it is somewhat close to the Middle Eastern countries, or just because people haven’t heard much about Armenia. Other things can concern them, like protests they heard about, or the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. When I was finishing university in the US, and told my friends and professors that I was going to Armenia after graduation, some people became concerned for me. “Armenia, is that safe?” “Be careful, there’s a revolution going on” All I could do was laugh, and gently reassure them that I was not stepping into danger in any way. Armenia retains a very peaceful and crime-free population. Of course, as with any foreign country, necessary precautions should be taken by travellers, but nothing extra is needed.

People don’t feel threatened by strangers

During my whole 8 months in Armenia, I have never felt like I was in any serious danger. I walk just about anywhere in Yerevan and feel safe. I never feel threatened by strangers, in fact I find strangers to be very friendly with each other. This seems to me to be due to people feeling safe around others in general. The default is not to assume that a stranger approaching you is threatening. As a result, I have had more friendly interactions with random people I meet during a given day than I ever had in a day at home in the US.

Is Armenia safe at night?

Although public places and streets are safe to walk through, it still might be a good idea to have company with you if you are walking at night. Yerevan is pretty well lit and populated at night, but other places not so much. I was in Gyumri for a few months, and in this city there aren’t many lights or much electricity after 11 at night. It was always advised that when a group of us walked home, the girls had male accompaniment with them. Although the streets and the town are very safe in general, they can get very dark. So, extra precaution is a good idea. Also keep in mind that I am coming at this from a man’s perspective. Women might not want to walk alone in back streets or at night. I notice that in Armenia it is less common for women to be out late in the evening than in the US and other countries.

Protests

When thinking of safety in Armenia, you might also remember the protests in Yerevan that happened around April 2018. Does this country have a tendency for sudden protests from the population? Are there riots? Do people get hurt? The answer to these questions is no. The Velvet Revolution was a peaceful one (and successful). Crowds blocked streets, but nobody was hurt, and not a single shot was fired. Armenians to this day in general seem pleased with the outcome of the revolution.

Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

Another concern people who haven’t been to Armenia might have is the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh. Karabakh is currently a disputed region between Armenia and Azerbaijan. There is a cease-fire in place, which is occasionally violated at the border of Karabakh and Azerbaijan. However, it is not possible to go these places, as the military will not let people into these dangerous territories. The land of Karabakh in abundant with ethnic Armenians, and many Armenian citizens, Armenian diaspora, and tourists visit the country.

The towns of Shushi, its capital Stepanakert, and many other places are perfectly safe. I have been there myself, and if I didn’t know there was a conflict going on, I would never have discovered it by looking around at the beautiful nature and peaceful towns. You might notice warnings about going to Karabakh, for example on the US State Department’s website. They advise you not to go to Nagorno-Karabakh. They have to say this, though, since they cannot guarantee US government assistance to citizens in the territory of Karabakh. Don’t take this as an absolute “no”; they have to say this as a government. People go here all the time, and never witness anything pertaining to the conflict.

Roads in Armenia

One more note about general safety in Armenia. Armenia is such a safe country, that probably the biggest concern of yours should be the roads. I take taxis and buses all the time, so it is of course safe, but there seems to be a much different approach to road safety and driving protocol. To me, it seems that drivers in general are quite reckless. I was a little bit anxious on the road when I first arrived in the country. If you find yourself in this situation, don’t hesitate to ask the driver to slow down. They will probably listen to you, it’s just that they are so used to driving fast without hitting the brakes.

Also, I would advise against jaywalking in cities, especially Yerevan. Drivers typically don’t expect this, and they often don’t slow down when they see a person on the road. From my American East-Coast perspective, it seems to me that in Armenia the pedestrian is more often to blame for near incidents.

So, try to only cross the street on the crossroads. On long, country roads, where there might be some potholes and cracks, the driver might still drive with at the same speed, just swerving around the bad parts. They seem very used to driving this way, but don’t be afraid to ask them to slow down if you feel unsafe. I personally have become so accustomed to this kind of driving that I don’t think much of it anymore, for better or for worse. In the beginning, I couldn’t stop watching the road, prepared to be a back-seat driver. Now, I can sit back with no seat belt and fall asleep while the driver straddles potholes. Maybe that’s too much desensitization, and maybe you should request a little more caution be taken. But to this day I have not been in an accident on any level, and I feel safe.

Ziplining in Armenia

After living here for some time, and getting adjusted to cultural differences and behaviors, I have come to realize that things are not more dangerous here than in other countries like the US, even though at first they might seem to be. People in general seem to take much less caution. I think this is because people do not feel in danger.

Hitch-hiking is legal in Armenia, and is often practiced. It is not uncommon for a stranger to invite you to their home for dinner, as hospitality is more important than the hardly necessary concern for safety. I even went on a ziplining trip once, when I first came to Armenia, and was nearly scared to death when I saw staff members standing on slanted wooden platforms on the edge of a huge cliff, sending people off on the zipline one-by-one very quickly. These kinds of sights will probably worry a foreigner, but as I have acclimated to the culture, I’ve started to feel just as safe as the locals do.

Overall, you would be hard pressed to find a safer country to travel to than Armenia. Armenia does not have an international reputation as a dangerous place or anything like that, but it seems to be that some people can automatically think of it as an unsafe place fairly easily. This is probably just because of little recognition outside the Armenian Diaspora worldwide. I hope this changes, and that more and more people know about Armenia as a beautiful country, in terms of not only scenery, but also in terms of its society, behavior, and culture.

 

Article by our US volunteer Jack Mooradian

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