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Update, June 2026: The Australian Government has just downgraded its travel advice for Middle Eastern countries, including Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE, from 'Level four: Do Not Travel' to 'Level three: Reconsider your need to travel.'
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 24 countries across Africa, Asia, the Americas, Europe and the Middle East. Meanwhile, as of June 17, 2026, Aussies are also being advised to 'Reconsider their need to travel to' 16 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
- Palestine (as of Jun 17)
- Mali (as of Jun 11)
- Niger (as of Jun 9)
- Central African Republic (as of Jun 3)
- Somalia (as of May 28)
- Afghanistan (as of May 26)
- Democratic Republic of the Congo (as of May 22)
- South Sudan (as of May 22)
- Russia (as of May 18)
- Iran (as of May 14)
- Iraq (as of May 8)
- Sudan (as of May 1)
- Venezuela (as of Apr 29)
- Lebanon (as of Apr 29)
- Yemen (as of Par 9)
- Syria (as of Apr 9)
- Myanmar (as of Apr 7)
- Libya (as of Mar 31)
- North Korea (as of Mar 31)
- Ukraine (as of Feb 27)
- Haiti (as of Feb 26)
- Belarus (as of Feb 20)
- Burkina Faso (as of Jan 20)
- Chad (as of Nov 10, 2025)