The Best Time to Visit Bali: A Month by Month Guide

People ask us about the best time to visit Bali more than anything else. The short answer: there is no bad month, only different ones. Bali sits just south of the equator, so it is warm all year, usually around 30°C in the day. What changes is the rain, the crowds, the surf and the island's calendar of ceremonies, which can shape your trip as much as the weather.

Dry season vs wet season in Bali

The dry season runs roughly from April to October. Skies are clearer, humidity drops, and evenings in the hills can even feel cool. It is the best period for hiking, diving and the west coast surf around Uluwatu. It is also peak season, especially July and August.

The wet season runs roughly from November to March, with the heaviest rain usually from December to February. It rarely rains all day. More often you get a bright morning, a dramatic storm in the afternoon and a fresh evening. Rice fields are at their greenest, waterfalls are full, and outside the Christmas weeks prices and crowds ease.

Regions differ too. North Bali around Lovina is generally drier and calmer than the south. The hills of Munduk and Ubud are wetter and cooler. The Bukit peninsula is dry and sunny for much of the year.

Bali month by month

• January: the heart of the wet season, with afternoon storms and very green landscapes. After New Year the island goes quiet. Galungan falls on 13 January 2027 and Kuningan on 23 January.
• February: still wet and humid, one of the calmest months for crowds and a good time for villa deals.
• March: rains start to ease. Nyepi, the Day of Silence, falls on Monday 8 March 2027, with ogoh ogoh parades the evening before.
• April: the transition month. Mostly dry, still green, fewer visitors. A favourite of ours.
• May: one of the best months to visit Bali. Dry, sunny, green and not yet busy. Ubud's food festival usually takes place at the end of the month.
• June: dry and pleasant, cooler nights in the hills. The Bali Arts Festival in Denpasar runs from mid June to mid July. Domestic school holidays start to fill the island at the end of the month.
• July: peak season with European and Australian holidays. Book villas and popular restaurants early.
• August: still peak. Independence Day on 17 August brings village games and parades, and Galungan returns on 11 August 2027, with Kuningan on 21 August.
• September: dry, warm sea, crowds thinning. One of the best months overall.
• October: the end of the dry season, hotter and more humid. The Ubud Writers and Readers Festival usually lands in late October.
• November: the first rains, mostly short afternoon showers. Low season, lush and quiet, and the start of the best surf season at south facing breaks like Nyang Nyang.
• December: wet, with a very busy Christmas and New Year period. Book well ahead for the last two weeks.

Festivals and holy days to plan around

Nyepi is the big one. On the Balinese New Year the whole island stops for 24 hours, from 6am to 6am the next day. No one goes out, lights stay low, and Ngurah Rai airport closes. In 2027 that is Monday 8 March. It is an extraordinary experience if you are already here, and staying in a private villa makes it easy: stock the fridge the day before, enjoy the pool and look at a sky full of stars with almost no light pollution.

The evening before Nyepi is the opposite: villages parade huge ogoh ogoh effigies of demons through the streets with gamelan and torches. In the days before, you may also see Melasti processions, when villagers in white carry temple heirlooms to the sea or to a spring to be purified.

Galungan and Kuningan follow the 210 day Balinese calendar, so they happen twice in some years. In 2027 Galungan falls on 13 January and 11 August. For ten days streets are lined with tall bamboo penjor, families visit temples and offerings are everywhere. It is a beautiful time to be on the island, just expect some local businesses to close for a day or two.

So, when is the best time to visit Bali?

It depends on your trip. For surfing Uluwatu and long beach days, go between April and October and base yourself at Baliwood Nyang Nyang. For a quiet, slow trip with sunsets over the sea, North Bali works all year, and Baliwood Lovina stays calm even in high season. For groups who want restaurants and beach clubs close by, Baliwood Pererenan is easy in any month.

A practical note: foreign visitors pay a Bali tourist levy of IDR 150,000 per person, which you can pay online before you fly. And if you want to string the island together, our 10 day Bali itinerary from Uluwatu to Lovina works in every season.