Tour operators with passengers traveling in Bali and
Indonesia were tracking the developments closely surrounding the eruption of
the Mount Agung volcano on Monday, following the decision by Indonesian
authorities to evacuate those in the immediate vicinity and to close Bali's
international airport.
G Adventures said it currently has two groups in and around
Bali, which finish their tours on Dec. 1 and 2.
"It's our hope that Denpasar Airport will be reopened
by then, however our Bali operation office and our transportation supplier are
standing by to help our customers if they need help to secure transportation to
the alternative airport in Surabaya, East Java," stated a G Adventures
spokesperson, noting that to get from Bali to the Surabaya airport requires
about a 14-hour drive and a 1-hour ferry crossing.
The closest hotel that G Adventures uses to host its guests
is the Ashyana Candidasa Hotel, which is about 15 miles south of the volcano,
and is outside the immediate evacuation zone of within six miles of the
volcano. "And, we are told by Indonesian authorities, it is safe to be
visited," G Adventures stated. The tour operator said it has no other
included activities in its itineraries that are affected by the volcano's
activity.
Intrepid Travel said that it does not currently have any
travelers in the impacted region of Bali, but that as a precaution, the tour
operator has provided its travelers in Bali with dust masks.
"We are in constant contact with our local leaders and
on-the-ground team in Indonesia. At this time, all of our departed tours are
running as scheduled as none of our travelers are in the impacted areas,"
said Leigh Barnes, director of North America for Intrepid Travel. "Our
local team is continuing to monitor the situation, if it is ever unsafe to
continue traveling in the cities we take travelers to we will reroute our
itineraries."