Update, December 2025: Since our last update in May 2025, Palestine has been added to the 'do not travel' list, while Lebanon has been moved down a security level to the 'Reconsider your need to travel' list.
You know that saying, “safety first”? When it comes to travel, it’s one of the best pieces of advice you can follow. Exploring an unfamiliar country is exciting, but can also be an overwhelming experience, so the last thing you want is to find yourself in a risky situation. To help keep your adventures stress-free this year, we’ve pulled together a handy guide on all the destinations Smarttraveller is warning Australian travellers to avoid in 2026.
The Australian government's Smartraveller website is known for providing up-to-date travel advice for 178 destinations worldwide. Each country is assigned an ‘advice level’ that reflects the risk for Aussie travellers, ranging from ‘Level one: exercise normal safety precautions’ to ‘Level four: do not travel’.
Currently, Smarttraveller is urging Australians to steer clear of 23 countries across Africa, Asia, the Americas, Europe and the Middle East. Four updated warnings have been issued in December 2025 alone, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Venezuela, Myanmar and North Korea – due to dangerous security situations.
As of December 19, 2025, Aussies are also being advised to "Reconsider their need to travel to" 11 destinations. Some of these inclusions are long-standing, such as Nigeria, Ethiopia and Pakistan, while others pop up momentarily due to unforeseen events, like political strikes. It’s worth checking the list frequently to stay up-to-date on any movers and shakers. You can see the current list of destinations to avoid below.
The destinations Australian travellers should avoid in 2026
- Democratic Republic of the Congo (as of Dec 19, 2025)
- Venezuela (as of Dec 5, 2025)
- Myanmar (as of Dec 3, 2025)
- North Korea (as of Dec 3, 2025)
- Libya (as of Nov 28, 2025)
- Central African Republic (as of Nov 28, 2025)
- Niger (as of Nov 27, 2025)
- South Sudan (as of Nov 27, 2025)
- Sudan (as of Nov 27, 2025)
- Burkina Faso (as of Nov 26, 2025)
- Syria (as of Nov 25, 2025)
- Iran (as of Nov 20, 2025)
- Somalia (as of Nov 20, 2025)
- Iraq (as of Nov 19, 2025)
- Haiti (as of Nov 14, 2025)
- Belarus (as of Nov 14, 2025)
- Afghanistan (as of Nov 11, 2025)
- Chad (as of Nov 10, 2025)
- Russia (as of Oct 31, 2025)
- Mali (as of Oct 29, 2025)
- Yemen (as of Sep 22, 2025)
- Palestine (as of Sep 22, 2025)
- Ukraine (as of Jul 16, 2025)