An autonomous mobile apparatus is provided that includes a traveling body, a sensor mounted to the traveling body, and circuitry. The circuitry is configured to: determine whether there is an obstacle in a search region, which extends in a direction of a route on which the traveling body travels, based on a detection result of the sensor; when the obstacle determination section determines that there is the obstacle in the search region, determine whether there is an obstacle avoiding region, in which the traveling body is able to avoid the obstacle, in horizontal directions that intersect a traveling direction; and when there is the obstacle in a traveling direction change region, which is located within the search region and smaller than the search region, change the traveling direction of the traveling body toward the obstacle avoiding region so that the traveling body performs an avoidance action.