It has been announced that Mount Agung, a Bali volcano has been tossing out huge clouds of ash around 3,000 metres into the air since the weekend, and lava is welling up in the crater. This latest development is causing havoc for travellers who have been left stranded due to the Bali Despensar international airport being forced to close. Indonesian authorities have raised to the highest alert level of 4, with Indonesia’s disaster mitigation agency (BNBP) urging people within a 8-10km radius to evacuate. This evacuation affects over 100,000 people.
What Does This Mean For Travellers?
The first thing you need to do, if you are currently in Bali, is to stay calm! Tourists and travellers are being advised to stay out of the exclusion zone, to follow the advice of the local Indonesian authorities, and to monitor the local media news and reports. The popular tourist spots of Ubud, Seminyak and Kuta are 25-40 miles away and out of immediate danger. Past eruptions from Mount Agung have shown us that the Bali volcano has the possibility to cause damage beyond the exclusion zone. So the main instruction is to stay as far out of the eruption zone as you possibly can.
We know you may be anxious to get off the island, and the only international airport, Denpasar, is due to reopen on Tuesday morning, with priority for passengers who have already booked flights for those dates, rather than cancelled flights- so the message is to stay calm, patient and follow instructions for a safe departure.
If you have travelled with an agent, be sure to keep them updated with your whereabouts and needs. And finally, be sure to follow your airlines updates closely, and contact them to find out more about flight cancellations and rescheduling.
From our team at Bamba, stay safe and stay informed!
