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Host rating
100 %
Last replied
20 Mar 2026
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Details
Description
Our foundation is busy transforming the little town of Tumanyan in Armenia's stunning Debed Canyon gorge, halfway between Yerevan and Tbilisi. Our foundation currently maintains a hostel, library, museum and social enterprise cafe in our attempt to create a tourism hub in our town. We are currently only looking for hostel volunteers.
Volunteers are provided a bed in a dorm room to stay with other volunteers, and food will be covered. We are open to Workawayers from May through September and maybe October. The director of the projects lives by the hostel and will be hosting and helping with any questions.
Our non-profit Hostel which is still getting on its legs. So far we have a steady but small flow of guests, but it's important we have Workawayers on site to make sure every guest has a great experience and is informed well about all the amazing activities right out the door in the Debed Canyon, from hikes with incredible 1000 year old monasteries to river rafting to the museum and library, to coworking, there are many ways to spend your days in Tumanyan. But it is a quiet, sleepy town, which is not for everyone.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Charity Work
Art Projects
Help with Eco Projects
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Hospitality/Tourism
General Maintenance
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
All of our Workawayers have had an amazing cultural exchange experience. Locals are curious and hospitable, and you'll no doubt get to meet some of the colorful characters of the town. If you're not familiar with small town life, that's another experience to add to the Armenia experience in general.
Help
The most important qualifications are to be friendly, have a helpful attitude, and be a self-starter. Experience volunteering in a hostel is a definite plus, and applicants interested in staying 2 months or more will get preference.
Our biggest need is for help at the Hostel. Though it's not mandatory, we'd certainly love help from someone with experience at a rural hostel or two, though city hostel experience will do as well. We are looking for someone to primarily handle check-ins / checkouts and make sure everything is in order, some bed setup, and spot cleaning. There will be a manager nearby in town who will be your contact in the community who speaks great English and will be happy to help with anything that comes up. There is also a local cleaner for the hostel, so this position is primarily about having someone helping with the coming and goings of the guests and making sure they have a good experience. Any social media help would be a bonus.
The Hostel will open for the 2026 tourist season in May and help is needed in day to day operations, reservations and training local staff. It is a 28 bed hostel.
A practical level of fluency in either Armenian or Russian would be a nice bonus, but we understand this is not likely and it is definitely not expected.
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Armenian: Fluent
Russian: Fluent
Accommodation
The foundation will provide accommodation at our hostel in the town of Tumanyan, or in a guesthouse. You'll share a dorm room with other volunteers.
What else ...
In your off time there are great hiking trails to explore, with beautiful ruins of Kobayr Monastery, Grigori Bardzrakash Monastery, and Horomayri Monastery. A little further are Odzun Basilica of the 7th century, as well as the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Sanahin and Haghpat. River rafting excursions start right under the town in the Debed River. And of course, in your spare time there are a couple of thousand English language books as well. Tumanyan is almost exactly halfway between Yerevan and Tbilisi, two vibrant capital cities which are each 2.5 hours away. It's easy to spend the weekend in either if you're looking for some big city exploration in your off time. Though it may be important, especially at the hostel, that your days off be weekdays, not weekends.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
We have space and decent fiber optic internet. Not lightening fast, but more than enough for most purposes. Let us know if you're a DN looking for a place to disconnect, while staying connected. We feel it's a pretty ideal gig for a responsible DN.
Space for parking camper vans
We may be able to have you park in the factory grounds, please check and see what the possibilities are.
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
My animals / pets
Chat with Workawayers who've visited this host
Feedback (7)
I spent 2 months in Tumanyan which was the best volunteer experience for me throughout the year. Host, Yermonia is very friendly and welcoming. Communication was easy and clear, and everything went very well.
The project we were working on with other volunteers was exciting!!… read more
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Chat with Workawayers who've visited this host
Feedback
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(5.0)
Cultural exchange:
(5.0)
Communication:
(5.0)
I spent 2 months in Tumanyan which was the best volunteer experience for me throughout the year. Host, Yermonia is very friendly and welcoming. Communication was easy and clear, and everything went very well.
The project we were working on with other volunteers was exciting!!… read more
The project is amazing with an hostel a café, a library.
I help to welcoming host sometimes, make some little work in the hostel, and to open the library, it was so exciting to be at the beginning of this job.
The exchange with Yermonia is easy, and we only work four hours a day five days a week. Let a… read more
The hostel (and the neighboring kitchen) had all the accommodation necessary for a comfortable stay, not to mention its amazing placement next to a lovely river, the football field where the kids came to play every day after school, and the mountains.
I taught kids English for a month in the town's cultural… read more
Workawayers can really take 100% out of the experience, living in a real rural Armenian village.
This workaway is not for everyone but if you really are up to go deep inside the local culture Tumanyan is perfect.
Armenia is an amazing country… read more
He was so friendly to everyone, very motivated to work, energetic, took initiative, and… read more
