Qurexa Logo
Qurexa

Trust. Care. Deliver.

Back to Blog & Insights
Travel

Indonesia's volcano advice has changed. Here is what it now says

Qurexa Editorial Team19 September 20268 min read 0 0
Indonesia's volcano advice has changed. Here is what it now says

What happened

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has changed how it advises British travellers about volcanoes in Indonesia. The update was made on 18 September 2026. Until now, the FCDO advised against all travel to volcanoes in Indonesia. That advice has been withdrawn. The FCDO also says it will no longer automatically advise against all travel in the event of future volcanic eruptions there. In its place, the advice now carries more detailed information about volcanoes, including material from the Indonesian authorities who set and enforce exclusion zones around active sites. The current advice states that Indonesia "has many active volcanoes" and that they "can erupt without warning and have caused damage and loss of life". It warns that local authorities may evacuate communities near an eruption, and that "exclusion zones can change at short notice". It points travellers to three sources for current information: MAGMA Indonesia, which publishes daily volcano status and alert levels, the country's National Disaster Management Authority, known as BNPB, and the Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System. The timing is notable. On 17 September 2026, the day before the change, Anak Krakatau erupted, sending ash around 50,000 feet into the air. That is nearly ten miles. Volcanic ash at that altitude is a serious hazard to aircraft, and thousands of flights were disrupted. So the advice became less restrictive at almost the same moment as a major eruption. That sounds contradictory, but it is not.

Why this matters

The change is really about how travel advice works, and it affects more than volcanoes. FCDO advice is not only guidance. It has financial consequences. Most UK travel insurance policies become invalid if you travel to a place the FCDO advises against travelling to. Tour operators also use the advice when deciding whether to cancel trips and whether refunds are due. So blanket advice has real effects. Indonesia is an enormous country, made up of thousands of islands stretching across more than 3,000 miles. It has well over a hundred active volcanoes. Advising against all travel to all of them is a very wide instruction, and much of it would apply to places where nothing at all was happening. The new approach is more targeted. Rather than a standing warning covering every volcano permanently, travellers are pointed to live information about which specific volcanoes are active and where the exclusion zones currently sit. That puts more responsibility on the traveller. It also gives more accurate information, because a volcano's alert level can change within days, and official advice pages cannot realistically be rewritten that often. The Krakatau eruption illustrates the point rather than undermining it. A single volcano became dangerous and disrupted flights across the region. That is a reason to check current conditions before and during a trip. It is not a reason to treat every volcano in Indonesia as equally hazardous at all times.

What the evidence actually says

It is worth being precise about what has and has not changed, because this is easy to misread. What changed is the FCDO's default position. It no longer advises against all travel to volcanoes as a standing rule, and it will not automatically issue that advice for every future eruption. What has not changed is the underlying risk. Volcanoes in Indonesia remain dangerous, and the FCDO says so plainly in the same advice. Eruptions can happen without warning and have killed people. This is a change in how risk is communicated, not a judgement that Indonesia has become safer. It is also not a blanket green light. The FCDO can still advise against travel to a specific area if a specific eruption warrants it. The change removes the automatic, blanket response, not the ability to respond. On the Anak Krakatau eruption, the reported ash column of around 50,000 feet is the figure given in coverage of the event. Ash height is typically estimated from satellite and radar observations and is often revised. Treat it as a good approximation rather than a precise measurement. The flight disruption is a well-understood consequence. Volcanic ash damages jet engines, and airlines avoid ash clouds entirely rather than attempting to fly through them. Disruption from a significant eruption can continue for days after it stops, because the ash keeps moving with the wind. One genuine limitation of the new approach: it depends on travellers actually checking the sources. MAGMA Indonesia and BNPB are authoritative, but they are Indonesian government services, and not everything on them is in English. That is a practical barrier, and it is fair to acknowledge it.

Qurexa perspective

There is one aspect of disrupted travel that is easy to overlook until it happens to you, and it concerns medicines. When flights are grounded by an ash cloud, delays are not measured in hours. People have been stranded for several days by eruptions in this region before. Anyone travelling with a daily prescription, for blood pressure, diabetes, epilepsy, a heart condition or anything else, can find themselves short. The simple protection is to travel with more medication than the trip requires. A common recommendation is to carry at least a week's worth beyond your planned return, kept in hand luggage rather than checked baggage, in the original labelled packaging. It is also worth carrying a copy of your prescription or a list of your medicines with their generic names, since brand names differ between countries. If you did need to obtain a supply abroad, a pharmacist is far more able to help with a generic name. We support people with prescription deliveries and medication adherence in Lincolnshire, and requests for extra supply before a trip are among the more sensible things people ask for. If you are going away, mention it to your GP practice or pharmacy in advance. Arranging it early is straightforward. Arranging it from an airport is not.

Practical advice

If you are travelling to Indonesia, here is what is worth doing. Check the FCDO advice page for Indonesia before you book and again shortly before you travel. Advice changes, and the version you read months ago may not be current. Check MAGMA Indonesia for the alert level of any volcano near where you are going, particularly if you are planning to visit or trek on one. Alert levels change, sometimes quickly. Respect exclusion zones absolutely. They are set and enforced by local authorities who know the volcano. Entering one is dangerous and may invalidate your insurance. Confirm that your travel insurance covers natural disaster disruption, and read what it actually covers. Policies differ considerably on whether they pay for extra accommodation and rebooking when flights are grounded. If you have a respiratory condition such as asthma or COPD, take ash fall seriously. Fine ash irritates the airways. Carry your inhalers, stay indoors when ash is falling, and keep windows closed. Build some flexibility into your plans if you can, especially around tight connections. Ash disruption is unpredictable and can last several days. Register for any alerts your airline offers, and keep an eye on your departure airport's updates rather than relying on general news. And take the ordinary precautions seriously too. Most problems travellers encounter in Indonesia have nothing to do with volcanoes.

What to know

On 18 September 2026 the FCDO stopped advising against all travel to volcanoes in Indonesia, and said it will no longer automatically issue that advice for future eruptions. Instead, its guidance now includes more detail on volcanoes and exclusion zones, and directs travellers to live sources: MAGMA Indonesia, the BNPB disaster management authority, and the Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System. The underlying risk has not changed. The FCDO still warns that Indonesia's volcanoes can erupt without warning, have caused loss of life, and that exclusion zones can shift at short notice. The change came a day after Anak Krakatau erupted on 17 September, sending ash around 50,000 feet up and disrupting thousands of flights. Check current volcano alert levels before travelling, respect exclusion zones, make sure your insurance covers natural disaster disruption, and carry extra medication in hand luggage in case you are delayed. Sources: Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Indonesia travel advice, GOV.UK, updated 18 September 2026, https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/indonesia ; ScienceDaily, "Anak Krakatau blasts ash nearly 10 miles high", 17 September 2026, https://www.sciencedaily.com/news/earth_climate/ ; MAGMA Indonesia, Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation, https://magma.esdm.go.id This article is for general information and does not replace official travel advice or advice from a doctor, pharmacist or other qualified healthcare professional. Always check the FCDO's advice for your destination before you travel.

#travel advice#Indonesia#volcanoes#FCDO#flight disruption#travel insurance

Related articles