Lombok has a clear dry season and a clear wet one.
The best time to visit Lombok is May to September, the dry season. July and August are the driest, at about four rainy days each. September is nearly as dry.
The rainy season is November to April and is worst in December, January and February, at 16 to 18 rainy days a month. It usually falls as a heavy afternoon or overnight downpour rather than all-day rain.
Lombok follows almost the same calendar as Bali, and is a little wetter in the wet months. The same months suit both.
Hotel occupancy across the province peaks in August and September and is lowest in March.
Great time to visit
September offers fantastic weather with very few rainy days. You'll find it's one of the busier months, so popular beaches and sites will be more crowded.
SCORE BY MONTH
Visitor data: BPS-Statistics Indonesia, West Nusa Tenggara hotel occupancy (2024)
Ramadan moves about eleven days earlier each year, so the quiet stretch it creates will not always fall in the months shown here.
Temperatures change very little. Rain and crowds are what separate the months.
The wettest month of the year, and humid with it, but one of the quietest and cheapest. The sea is rougher, so crossings to the Gili islands get canceled more often.
Almost as wet as January. Green, cheap and easy to book. Bring a rain jacket and keep your plans flexible.
Rain starts easing, at 14 days, and this is the quietest month of the year for hotel occupancy. Good value.
The transition between seasons, and the humidity falls with the rain. Still quiet, and the island is at its greenest. The Rinjani trekking routes normally reopen on 1 April.
The dry season starts, with comfortable evenings and moderate crowds.
Dry and sunny. The surf on the south coast picks up, and crowds build through the month.
One of the two driest months, and busy. Peak season for the Gilis and for Rinjani treks.
Tied with July as the driest month, and the busiest, with hotel occupancy at its yearly peak. Barely any rain, and the best diving visibility of the year.
Nearly as dry as August and still busy, but past the peak.
The last dry month. Rain returns gradually and rates come down.
The rainy season returns. Quiet and cheap.
Wet, with holiday prices in the last two weeks. The worst combination of the year for value.
Airfare here differs by season, and not always in step with the weather. These are the cheapest fares held on Lombok's busiest nonstop routes, each measured against its own typical month.
Measured on Denpasar-Bali Island, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur to Lombok: 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.
Lombok is eight degrees south of the equator, so temperature is not the variable. Highs are 30 to 32°C (86 to 90°F) all year and lows are 23 to 24°C (73 to 75°F).
Dry season, May to October. Rain on four to nine days a month, lower humidity, and easterly and southeasterly winds. July and August are the driest months of the year.
Rainy season, November to April. Rain on ten to 18 days a month, peaking in December, January and February.
December, January and February are the wettest months, at 16 to 18 rainy days each and humidity in the mid 80s.
Most of it falls in short heavy bursts rather than all day, and mornings are often clear. The sea is the main problem: crossings to the Gili islands are rougher and get canceled more often, and diving visibility is often poorer.
It is still a reasonable time to go: green island, full waterfalls, the lowest rates of the year and easy booking. The trade-off is less reliable beach weather.
Mount Rinjani is why a lot of people come to Lombok, and the trek is not available all year. The park closes its trekking routes for the rainy season, normally from 1 January to 31 March, and reopens them on 1 April. Shorter closures also happen at other times, around Eid and after bad weather, so check before you book.
The best trekking months are June to September: dry trails, a clear crater lake and reliable views. It is cold at the summit overnight in any month, and July and August are the busiest.
April, May and October are also good options, and quieter. Rain is more likely and the trail is muddier.
Lombok is bigger than Bali, and a few things change by area.
The south, around Kuta and Selong Belanak, is the driest and windiest part of the island. The dry-season swell from May to September is what most people come for.
The west, around Senggigi, has the calmest water and the quickest access to the Gili islands offshore. Crossings are rougher and more often canceled from December to February.
The north and the highlands around Rinjani and Senaru are cooler and wetter than the coast, with afternoon rain common even in the dry season. The waterfalls are at their fullest during and just after the rainy season.
Ramadan. Lombok has a much larger Muslim majority than Bali, and during the fasting month some local eateries outside the tourist areas close or change their hours during the day. It starts about 11 days earlier each year. The Indonesia guide lists the upcoming dates.
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August on weather alone: it is the driest month of the year, tied with July. September is the better all-round pick, with nearly the same weather once the peak has passed. May and June are good for the same reason at the other end of the season.
November to April, with December, January and February the wettest at 16 to 18 rainy days each. Rain usually comes in heavy bursts in the afternoon or overnight, not all day.
Not really. Both follow the same seasons and both get wet from November to April. Lombok is quieter and cheaper in those months, and the Gili crossings are the one thing that gets worse.
April to December. The trekking routes close for the rainy season, normally from 1 January to 31 March, and shorter closures happen at other times, so check before you book. June to September is the best period, with dry trails and clear views.
January to March. Hotel occupancy across the province is at its lowest in March and rates follow. The downside is the wettest weather of the year.
January and February for weather. For value it is the last two weeks of December, when you pay holiday rates for rainy-season weather.