Bali has a dry season and a rainy season. Here is what each month is like, and when to go.
The best time to visit Bali is May to September, the middle of the dry season. These months have the most dry days and the lowest humidity. August is the driest.
The dry season is April to October, and the rainy season is November to March. The change does not happen on a fixed date, so you can get a dry March or a wet June.
July and August are peak season. Villa prices are at their highest and the south is crowded. May, June and September have almost the same weather for much less money. We'd go in September.
January is the wettest month, with December and February close behind. In January and February, plastic washes up on the west-coast beaches from Kuta to Seminyak. December is also very expensive over Christmas and New Year.
Good time to visit
October offers warm weather with a moderate number of visitors. Expect about eight days of rain, so pack accordingly for potential showers.
Score by month
Visitor data: BPS-Statistics Bali, monthly foreign visitor arrivals (Jul-Dec 2025, Jan-Jun 2026)
The temperature is almost the same all year. What changes from month to month is the rain and the crowds.
The wettest month of the year. Plastic washes up on the west-coast beaches from Kuta to Seminyak. Prices are low, the rice terraces are at their greenest, and the east coast has the better surf.
Still very wet, and one of the quietest months. Villa prices are close to their lowest of the year, and restaurants are easy to book.
The quietest month of the year, and the rain starts to ease. Nyepi, the Balinese day of silence, usually falls in March and closes the airport for 24 hours, so check the date before you book flights.
The start of the dry season, and an underrated month. Most days are dry, the island is still green, and it is much quieter than July.
Dry season. Sunny days, little rain, comfortable evenings and moderate crowds, before the July and August peak.
Dry, breezy and usually sunny, with good surf on the west coast. It gets busier through the month, but prices are still below July's.
The busiest month of the year. Canggu, Uluwatu and Ubud are full, villa prices are at their highest, and traffic in the south is bad.
The driest month, with cooler evenings and consistent surf on the west coast. Prices are at their peak. Ubud and the north are quieter than the south.
Still dry, and the best value of the dry season. Most European summer holidays are over and prices come down, except in late September, when schools in several Australian states are on holiday.
The last month of the dry season. Afternoon showers start to come back and there are fewer visitors. Still a good month, and cheaper than September.
The rainy season starts, and it is one of the quietest and cheapest months. The waterfalls are full again, and Amed and Tulamben still have good diving.
Wet, and expensive over the holidays. Prices and visitor numbers rise sharply in the second half of the month, and over Christmas and New Year the south is as busy as in July.
Ticket prices differ by season and are not always in line with the weather. These are the cheapest and most expensive months on Bali's busiest nonstop routes.
Measured on Doha, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Perth, Singapore, Surabaya to Bali: two domestic routes, the busiest international one, and the long-haul routes that carry the most traffic. Each route is compared against its own typical month, so a long flight and a short one count equally and what is left is the season. Cheapest fares only, and airfare only, not the cost of the trip.
Bali is eight degrees south of the equator, so the temperature is almost the same all year. On the south coast, highs are 30 to 31°C (86 to 88°F) and lows 22 to 24°C (72 to 75°F) in every month. Ubud and the highlands are a few degrees cooler. What changes is the rain, the humidity and the wind.
Dry season, April to October. Lower humidity, winds from the southeast and long stretches of clear days. August is the driest month, and July and August are the busiest. The dry-season winds favor the surf breaks on the west and southwest coast.
Rainy season, November to March. Most rain comes as a heavy downpour in the afternoon or overnight, not all-day drizzle. Mornings are often clear, but not always. The humidity is high, and most people find it harder than the rain.
Don't rule out February and March. The island is green, the waterfalls are full, and villas cost much less than in August. The risk is losing a few beach days to the weather.
Nyepi, the Balinese day of silence, closes the airport for 24 hours, from 6 a.m. to 6 a.m. There are no flights, no traffic and no open shops, and lights are kept low after dark. Visitors have to stay inside their hotel or villa for the day.
The date follows the Balinese calendar and changes every year, usually falling in March. Check it before you book: a flight scheduled for that day will not operate. The Bali guide lists the upcoming holidays.
If you are already on the island, stay for it. The night before, neighborhoods parade their ogoh ogoh (giant demon figures built by the local youth groups) through the streets with drums and firecrackers, and the day itself is the quietest of the year.
March is the quietest month, then November and February. July and August are the busiest, because of the European summer holidays and, in July, the Australian school holidays, as much as the weather. That is why September is quieter than August, with nearly the same weather.
Villa and hotel prices rise sharply from the February low to the July and August peak, and again over Christmas and New Year. The Bali cost of living guide has the prices.
January, if you want beach days. It is the wettest month of the year, it is very humid, and currents wash plastic onto the beaches from Kuta to Seminyak.
Late December is the worst value: rainy-season weather at peak-season prices, and the worst traffic of the year in the south. If Christmas is your only window, book early and stay away from Canggu and Seminyak.
For the weather, not much. The island is small and the seasons arrive everywhere at the same time. Four things do change by area.
Rain. The highlands around Ubud and Munduk are cooler and wetter than the coast in every month, and afternoon rain is common there even in the dry season. The south and the northeast are the driest parts of the island.
Surf. The west and southwest coast has the better waves in the dry season, and the east coast in the rainy season.
Crowds. Canggu, Seminyak, Uluwatu and Pererenan are the busiest areas. Ubud and Sanur are busy but manageable. Amed, Sidemen, Munduk and the north are quiet even in August.
Boats and diving. The fast boats to Nusa Penida and Lembongan are rougher and canceled more often in the rainy season. May to September usually has the calmest water. Diving around Amed and Tulamben, where the USAT Liberty wreck is, has the clearest water from April to November.
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September. It is almost as dry as August, and once the European summer holidays are over, villa prices drop. August is the driest month if the weather is all that matters. May and June are good for the same reasons as September.
Yes, if you know what to expect. Rain usually comes as a heavy downpour in the afternoon or overnight, not all day, and mornings are often clear. Villas cost much less, the island is green and the waterfalls are full. What you give up is reliable beach days on the west coast.
November to March. January is the wettest month, with December and February close behind. The rain eases through March and April, and by May it has mostly stopped.
February and March. Villa and hotel prices are at their lowest, flights are cheaper from most places, and you can book at short notice. On many properties the February rate is far below the August one.
It depends on the coast. From April to October the winds favor the west and southwest breaks around Uluwatu, Canggu and Kuta. In the rainy season the wind turns, and the east coast around Sanur, Nusa Dua and Keramas has better conditions. There is good surf in Bali all year, just not in the same place.
In the south, yes. Canggu, Seminyak and Uluwatu are full, traffic around Canggu is slow, and popular restaurants need a reservation. Ubud and the north are quieter, and the east coast stays quiet. If you have to go in August, stay away from the Canggu to Seminyak strip.