Indonesia travel warning: alert near holiday spot Bali as government advises against travel to danger areas

British backpackers are advised against all travel to certain parts of Indonesia - including a popular hiking spot near the holiday idyll of Bali.

The government put out the warning following the eruption of Mount Ruang, a remote volcano in Northern Sulawesi, near the Philippines. This forced more than half a dozen airports to close and officials said the ash spreading as far as Malaysia.

Mount Ruang erupted three times earlier in the week (April 30) spewing more than 5km (three miles) into the sky. Authorities were forced to issue evacuation orders for 12,000 people, due to a Tsunami warning risk. The government said an exclusion zone has been put in place 7km away from Mount Ruang’s crater.

But the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has also issued warnings around other volcanoes in the south-east Asian country. It advised against all travel to within 3km of the crater of Mount Marapi in West Sumatra.

This is a popular hiking spot amongst backpackers, with many climbing to see sunrise from the “Mountain of Fire”. Marapi is Indonesia’s most active volcano, erupting in December leaving 23 climbers dead. From December 2023 to January 2024, it erupted 113 times.

The FCDO has also recommended against all travel to within 5km of Mount Sinabung, in the Karo province of North Sumatra. This is another popular tourist spot. Previously dormant, Mount Sinabung erupted for the first time in 2015 and at least 10,000 people had to be evacuated. Since then, it has erupted regularly.

Close to the holiday paradise of Bali, the FCDO has also warned against all travel to within 5km of Mount Semeru’s crater. This is just across the straights from West Bali, the most popular tourist spot in Indonesia.

Mount Semeru is frequented by hikers, but the government “advises against all travel to the southeast area of Mount Semeru along the Besuk Kobokan river (approximately 13 km from the crater)”. It added: You should stay at least 500 m from the Besuk Kobokan riverbank.”

Indonesia sees regular earthquakes and volcanic eruptions as a result of its position on the Pacific “Ring of Fire” where multiple tectonic plates meet. Mount Ruang recorded a series of eruptions earlier in April that also led to evacuations and disruption to aviation amid fears of a tsunami.