Indonesia is 3,000 miles wide, so the dry season is not equally dry everywhere. In July it rains about one day in Sumbawa and about ten in Tana Toraja.
Best time to visit by destination
Below are some of the most popular destinations in Indonesia, with the best time to visit each one.
- Jakarta June to September The rainy season here means floods, not just rain, and January and February are the worst for it. The dry months are hot and the air is at its worst.
- Yogyakarta May to September The driest months in Java, and the best time for Borobudur and Prambanan at sunrise. December to February is wet, and the temples are hard work in it.
- Bali May to September Dry from May to September, driest in August. Bali has its own month-by-month guide, including Nyepi and when it gets busiest.
- Lombok May to September Much the same weather as Bali, with fewer people. Rinjani usually closes to trekkers from January to March.
- Sumbawa June to September The driest place we cover, at about one rainy day a month in the middle of the dry season. Same months for surfing on the south coast.
- Komodo June to September Boat conditions matter more than rain here. Crossings into the park are calmest from June to September. In January and February rough seas cancel trips, and much of the liveaboard fleet moves east to Raja Ampat.
- Sumba May to October The dry season lasts into October here, longer than most. December to February brings heavy rain and flooding, on an island with rough roads.
- Tana Toraja July to October It rains here every month of the year, so even the driest ones are wet. Much cooler than the rest of the country too, in the mid-twenties rather than the low thirties.
- Raja Ampat October to April The opposite of everywhere else. It rains all year, so the wind and the sea decide the season, and the calm months are October to April. June to September brings the roughest crossings.
Green is a month we rate as one of that city's best, amber one worth avoiding.
| City | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jakarta | Avoid 31 | Avoid 31 | Fine 32 | Fine 32 | Fine 32 | Best month 32 | Best month 32 | Best month 32 | Best month 32 | Fine 32 | Fine 32 | Fine 31 |
| Yogyakarta | Avoid 30 | Avoid 30 | Fine 31 | Fine 31 | Best month 31 | Best month 31 | Best month 30 | Best month 30 | Best month 31 | Fine 31 | Fine 31 | Avoid 30 |
| Bali | Avoid 31 | Avoid 31 | Fine 31 | Fine 31 | Best month 31 | Best month 30 | Best month 30 | Best month 30 | Best month 31 | Fine 31 | Fine 31 | Avoid 31 |
| Lombok | Avoid 31 | Avoid 31 | Fine 31 | Fine 32 | Best month 31 | Best month 30 | Best month 30 | Best month 30 | Best month 31 | Fine 32 | Fine 32 | Avoid 31 |
| Sumbawa | Avoid 31 | Avoid 31 | Fine 32 | Fine 33 | Fine 33 | Best month 32 | Best month 32 | Best month 33 | Best month 34 | Fine 35 | Fine 34 | Fine 32 |
| Komodo | Avoid 30 | Avoid 30 | Fine 31 | Fine 32 | Fine 32 | Best month 31 | Best month 30 | Best month 30 | Best month 31 | Fine 32 | Fine 32 | Fine 31 |
| Sumba | Avoid 30 | Avoid 30 | Fine 30 | Fine 30 | Best month 30 | Best month 29 | Best month 29 | Best month 29 | Best month 30 | Best month 31 | Fine 31 | Avoid 30 |
| Tana Toraja | Avoid 25 | Avoid 25 | Fine 26 | Fine 26 | Fine 26 | Fine 26 | Best month 26 | Best month 27 | Best month 27 | Best month 28 | Fine 27 | Avoid 26 |
| Raja Ampat | Best month 31 | Best month 31 | Best month 31 | Best month 31 | Fine 31 | Fine 30 | Fine 30 | Fine 30 | Fine 30 | Best month 31 | Best month 31 | Best month 31 |
Numbers are the average daily high in °C.
When is the rainy season in Indonesia?
Roughly November to March, and heaviest in January and February. The wind shifts twice a year: wet air comes off Asia in the northern winter, dry air off Australia in the northern summer.
The rain usually comes in the afternoon and passes, so you can still travel in the rainy season. Be careful with boats, though. Crossings to the smaller islands get rough and a lot of them are canceled, which can wreck your plans.
When is the best time to visit Raja Ampat?
Raja Ampat is the one place in Indonesia that does not share its weather with the rest of the country. Its best months are October to April.
It rains there in every month, and the wettest month is only about three days wetter than the driest. Rain is not what the season is about. Wind and the sea are. From June to September the wind picks up, the crossings between islands get rough, and a lot of dive trips are canceled. From October onwards the water gets calmer.
For diving, December to March is the best time, when the mantas gather at the cleaning stations. It is also the wettest period, but rain matters less on a dive trip.
Idul Fitri and the Indonesian travel peaks
The busiest travel weeks in Indonesia are domestic. Two periods matter most.
Idul Fitri, the end of Ramadan, is a big one. Millions of people travel home for it, known as mudik, the yearly trip back to family. Flights, trains and ferries sell out weeks ahead and the roads jam for days in all directions. Check the date here before you book.
School holidays fall around June and July, which happens to be a period with the best weather. That is when Bali, Lombok and Yogyakarta are full of Indonesian families, and it is also the European summer holidays.
Bali has one day to plan around: Nyepi, the day of silence. The island shuts down for 24 hours, including the airport.
The cheapest time to visit Indonesia
The rainy season, outside Christmas and New Year. Hotel rates in Bali and Lombok drop a long way from their August level.
May, June and September are the better deal. Dry almost everywhere, and cheaper than July and August.
Whichever month you pick, see what a month in Indonesia actually costs, and the Indonesia money guide for keeping the 3 to 5% that ATMs and card terminals take.
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Frequently Asked Questions
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What is the best month to visit Indonesia?
August. It is the driest month almost everywhere and the middle of the dry season. It is also the busiest and most expensive, so June or September gets you close to the same weather for less.
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What is the worst time to visit Indonesia?
December to February, and January and February most of all. Jakarta floods, boat crossings get canceled, and Sumba and Tana Toraja are at their wettest. Raja Ampat is the exception and is at its best then.
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Is October or November a good time to visit Indonesia?
October is good, November is mixed. October is still dry in Sumba and Sumbawa and drying out elsewhere. By November the rain is back across Java, Bali and the islands east of it. Raja Ampat is coming into its best season either month.
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Are July and August too busy in Indonesia?
In Bali, Lombok and Komodo, yes. Indonesian school holidays and the European summer holidays happen at the same time, so those are the busiest and most expensive weeks of the year. June and September have almost the same weather and cost less.
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Is December or January a good time to visit Indonesia?
Not for most of the country. Both are rainy months, and Christmas and New Year are expensive on top of that.
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When is the best time to dive Raja Ampat?
December to March, when the mantas gather at the cleaning stations. The calm season is wider, October to April. From June to September the wind makes the crossings rough and a lot of dive trips are canceled.