If you have been following the news recently, you will have heard about the increased volcanic activity caused by Bali’s Mount Agung. A lot of people – even those who have booked a villa from easybalivillas.com and other expensive accomodation – have cancelled their travel plans in early 2018 because of fears over the island’s safety, and this has caused lower than usual tourist numbers.

However, there really isn’t a whole lot to be worried about. If you are interested in travelling to Bali, now is probably the perfect time. The volcano isn’t a big problem anymore, and there is very little risk of a large eruption happening in the near future. However, the fear caused by it means that there will be less people in the island paradise, leaving more space for you and your friends or family to enjoy your holidays!

What caused the Bali volcano scare?

In September 2017, Mount Agung began to show signs of seismic activity. Scientists were worried about a potential eruption after smoke and ash began billowing from the mouth of the mountain at regular intervals, and this fear quickly spread to locals, tourists, and travellers planning to visit the area. The area was placed on the highest alert for a volcanic eruption, and it was feared that any eruption would be major, causing catastrophic damage and huge ash clouds.

There were a number of false alarms, causing the evacuation of tens of thousands of people from the area nearby the volcano in the weeks following. The threat was eventually downgraded to the second highest warning level, and people began to go about their business as normal.

However, in November, Mount Agung began to show more signs of activity. After months of hype, everything culminated in a pretty minor eruption on the 24th of November, 2017. Sure, a volcanic eruption is a volcanic eruption, but in the end it didn’t threaten lives, didn’t cause the cancellation of flights or air travel in the area, and didn’t even cause a very big ash cloud.

So why are people still worried?

As you can imagine, a lot of people are still very worried about the state of the volcano. Although there hasn’t been any significant activity for almost four months, they still remember the fear and panic caused by the media last November. This places an irrational fear into the minds of a lot of potential visitors to Bali, and this has resulted in a drop in the number of visitors to the island.

Is it safe to visit Bali now?

In all reality, there isn’t anything at all to worry about anymore. The volcano has stopped erupting, and there is a high chance that it will be years before it becomes active again. This means that you can safely visit Bali without having to worry about your travel plans being interrupted by volcanic activity, and you will probably even be able to benefit from lower tourist numbers!