Mount Merapi Alert Level: Level III (Siaga) Explained

The Mount Merapi alert level is Level III, called Siaga, the third step on Indonesia’s four-step scale. It has been there since 5 November 2020. On 12 October 2026 the head of BPPTKG, the Yogyakarta volcano monitoring centre, told reporters that Merapi was still at Level III after social media posts claimed the official MAGMA website showed it as “Normal”. He called it a human error that was being fixed. This guide explains what the levels mean, what the latest numbers say, and how to check the status yourself.

The Mount Merapi alert level today

Three sources checked on 14 October 2026 agree. BPPTKG’s statement of 12 October gives Level III. Its reports for 8 to 11 October, carried by Indonesian media, say Siaga was maintained. And the MAGMA Indonesia daily report page listed Merapi at Level III (Siaga), with the report for 14 October noting a thin white plume about 100 m above the crater and views ranging from clear to lightly clouded.

The weekly report for 2 to 8 October, as quoted by IDN Times and Bsinews, recorded:

• 1,071 earthquakes near the summit: 533 multi-phase, 483 rockfall, 52 shallow volcanic and 3 tremor
• 40 lava avalanches, the longest travelling 2,500 m
• a south-west lava dome of about 4.18 million cubic metres and a central dome of about 2.37 million
• a count of 122 “awan panas guguran”, the pyroclastic flows that come from collapsing lava

That last figure is reported inconsistently. IDN Times attributes the 122 to the 2 to 8 October period, while Bsinews says no pyroclastic flow occurred that week and that 122 were counted from 1 January to 8 October. Read the BPPTKG report itself when the exact number matters.

What are the volcanic alert levels in Indonesia?

Indonesia’s four levels come from Ministerial Regulation 15 of 2011, summarised here from the Yogyakarta disaster agency’s explanation. These are plain-English paraphrases, not an official translation.

Merapi sits at Level III. The level describes the volcano, not your itinerary. It does not tell you which roads are open or whether a tour will run.

Is Mount Merapi active?

Yes. Level III is the “elevated” step, and the numbers above show it. BPPTKG’s head has described the volcano as in an effusive eruption phase, in which magma reaches the surface slowly, with an explosive event still possible at any time. In that case, he said, material could be thrown up to 3 km from the summit.

BPPTKG also lists potential hazard distances by river valley, based on its 8 to 11 October report:

The MAGMA glitch of 12 October

On 12 October 2026 posts circulated showing Merapi as Level I on the MAGMA site, the Geological Agency’s official platform. BPPTKG’s head answered that this was not true and that the status remained Siaga. He apologised for what he suspected was a human error and said the data was being corrected.

The lesson for travellers is simple. One screenshot of the Mount Merapi alert level is not a status. If a single page or post contradicts everything else, check a second source before you change plans. The MAGMA report page lists each volcano’s level and a 6-hour observation summary, and BPPTKG’s own reports and local news give you cross-checks. Your operator should also be checking, and can tell you what they use.

Mount Merapi alert level and your trip

• The summit is closed. Hiking is not recommended under the current level, with a 3 km zone to be kept free of activity. Our Merapi hiking guide covers what the park authority said in June 2026.
• Tours stay on the lower slopes. Jeep routes run on the southern side, and operators should follow the authorities’ danger zones. We found no published map overlaying the routes on the river hazard distances, so ask your operator how they decide. The safety guide has the questions to ask.
• Plans can change. If activity rises, routes can be changed or tours postponed. Weather matters separately: see Mount Merapi visibility.
• Level III is not the top step. By the regulation’s wording it covers the area around the vent, not settlements. Level IV is the step that threatens settlements.

If you are weighing a ride, the options are on our tour packages page, with an early sunrise jeep tour and a private Merapi jeep tour.

A level that has lasted for years

The Mount Merapi alert level has stayed at III for almost six years. A level changes when monitoring data change enough for BPPTKG to revise it, and the volcano has kept producing lava avalanches and magma supply in that time. Local residents have argued that six years at Siaga is too long, according to Kompas, while BPPTKG’s head points to the ongoing eruption phase. The disagreement is public, but the decision belongs to the monitoring agency.

For comparison, in October 2010 the alert was raised to Level IV on 25 October, with people within 10 km told to evacuate. On 4 November evacuations were extended to 20 km, according to the US Geological Survey, and the status was lowered to Level III on 3 December 2010, according to Wikipedia.

Reading the weekly report

Four terms from BPPTKG reports cover most of what sits behind the Mount Merapi alert level:

• Gempa guguran: rockfall earthquakes, linked to lava or rock falling from the dome.
• Gempa fase banyak: multi-phase earthquakes.
• Guguran lava: a lava avalanche. The distance given is how far it travelled.
• Awan panas guguran: a pyroclastic flow from dome collapse.

Compare reported distances with the hazard table above. This week’s 2,500 m avalanche is shorter than every distance in the table, the shortest being 3 km.

Next step

Check the level on the day you travel, then decide. If you want to plan a morning around it, send your dates through our contact page.