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Indonesia Travel Alert

The US Department of state has issued a travel alert for travel to Indonesia due to the continuous eruption of Mount Merapi. The eruptions have caused flight cancellations to and from Jakarta, and travelers are advised to expect delays when traveling in Indonesia. Mount Merapi means “Mountain of Fire” in Javanese, and is located between [...]

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The US Department of state has issued a travel alert for travel to Indonesia due to the continuous eruption of Mount Merapi. The eruptions have caused flight cancellations to and from Jakarta, and travelers are advised to expect delays when traveling in Indonesia.

Mount Merapi means “Mountain of Fire” in Javanese, and is located between Java and Yogyakarta. This volcano is has been very active in recent history, with small eruptions coming every two or three years and large ones every 10 – 15.

On Monday afternoon 25 October 2010 Merapi erupted three times, spewing lava down its southern and southeastern slopes. Three major eruptions were recorded at 14:04, 14:24 and 15:15.[5] On 25 October 222 volcanic seismic events and 454 avalanche seismic events were recorded by Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation monitoring staff at Merapi. –Mount Merapi Wikipedia

It is my impression that volcanic eruptions are rarely ever very dangerous to travelers unless they are in the direct vicinity of the lava flow or the ash plum, but the media latches on to such geological events and blow them out of proportion. In point, it is my opinion that just so you stay away from central Java and out of the way of this volcano, there is no reason to allow this event to subvert your travel plans to Indonesia.

Mount Merapi in Indonesia

Filed under: Asia, Indonesia, Travel Warnings

About the Author:

I am the founder and editor of Vagabond Journey. I’ve been traveling the world since 1999, through 91 countries. I am the author of the book, Ghost Cities of China and have written for The Guardian, Forbes, Bloomberg, The Diplomat, the South China Morning Post, and other publications. has written 3699 posts on Vagabond Journey. Contact the author.

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