The Best Time to Travel to Bali: Month by Month

Planning a trip to Bali and wondering when it’s best to go? We’ve answered that question hundreds of times, and the answer is more nuanced than “the dry season is best”. It depends on what you want to experience, what you want to spend, and whether you prefer sunshine and crowds or quieter days with a few showers. Here’s the honest month-by-month guide from a team who lived on the island for four years.

The short version: May, June and September give you the best weather, sensible prices and beaches that aren’t packed. July and August are glorious, but expensive and busy. January and February are the cheapest and quietest.

The climate in Bali

Two seasons, and neither of them is bad. Bali has a tropical climate with 26–32 °C and 27–29 °C in the sea all year round. What changes is the rainfall, the humidity and how many tourists are there. The dry season runs from May to October, and the rainy season from November to March, with April as a transition.

Rainy season rarely means rain all day. Usually there are heavy showers in the afternoon or evening, and sunshine the rest of the day. Many visitors are surprised by how much sun they get in January. Read more in the rainy season in Bali.

Month by month

Month	Weather	Prices	Crowds
January	Rainy season, afternoon showers	Low	Quiet
February	Rainy season, often the wettest month	Lowest	Quietest
March	Rain easing, Nyepi	Low	Quiet
April	Transition, mostly sunny	Medium	Medium (Easter)
May ⭐	Dry and clear	Medium	Medium
June	Dry and clear	Medium	Rising
July	Dry, slightly cooler	High	Busy
August	Dry, Galungan	Highest	Busiest
September ⭐	Dry and clear	Medium	Medium
October	Mostly sunny, first showers	Medium	Quiet
November	Rainy season begins	Low	Quiet
December	Rainy season, Christmas and New Year	High around the holidays	Busy around Christmas

January and February: quietest and cheapest. Bali’s quietest months. The beaches are almost empty, prices are at their lowest, and it often rains in the afternoon, but the mornings tend to be sunny. Great for retreats, yoga and anyone who wants Bali without the crowds. Galungan falls on 13 January 2027.

March: a transition month. The rain eases towards the end of the month. Nyepi, the Balinese New Year, is on 8 March 2027. The whole island shuts down for 24 hours, including the airport. It’s a unique experience to plan around, but not a day to land.

April: the dry season begins. Better conditions for surfing and snorkelling. Easter brings a short spike in prices, but otherwise April is an underrated month with good weather and moderate prices.

May: our favourite. ⭐ Stable weather, far fewer tourists than in summer and sensible prices. It’s the month we recommend to friends and family.

June: excellent. Clear and dry. More visitors arrive, but it’s still comfortable. The water is clear for snorkelling at Nusa Lembongan and diving around Nusa Penida and Amed.

July and August: high season. Great weather, but Bali’s busiest period, with European summer holidays and Australian winter school holidays at the same time. Hotels are full and prices are 30–50% higher than in May. Book 4–6 months ahead. Galungan on 11 August 2027 is a rare experience to plan your trip around.

September: the hidden gem. ⭐ Just as good weather as July and August, but many of the tourists have gone home and prices drop. Our second favourite after May.

October: a lovely transition. The first showers may arrive towards the end of the month, but there’s still plenty of sun, good prices and quiet beaches.

November: variable. Can be glorious or wet. Moderate prices. The sea gets rougher on the west coast.

December: Christmas in Bali. Festive and special, but expensive and busy around Christmas and New Year. It rains more often, but there are still plenty of beautiful days.

The dry season, May–October

The sky is clear and blue, and most things are at their best. The chance of rain is low, and everything you want to do, from surfing in Uluwatu and Canggu and sunrise on Mt. Batur to beach days, works best now.

May, June and September are the best of the dry season. Good weather, reasonable prices and quieter beaches. September is just as lovely as August, but with fewer tourists and lower prices.

The rainy season, November–March

Not as bad as you think. Many travellers rule out the rainy season completely, and that’s a shame. It usually means 1–3 hours of heavy rain in the afternoon or evening, and sunshine the rest of the day. In return you get lower prices, fewer tourists and a jungle greener than ever.

Some things are harder: visibility underwater can be poorer, the boats to Nusa Penida run in rougher seas, and the top of Mt. Batur is more often in the clouds. Ubud and the interior, on the other hand, are at their most beautiful. How the rainy season is month by month, where it rains least and what to pack are all in our guide to the rainy season in Bali.

The best time by activity

Activity	Best months	Avoid
Surfing on the west coast (Uluwatu, Canggu)	May–September	November–April for beginners
Surfing on the east coast (Keramas, Nusa Dua)	November–March	The dry season
Snorkelling and diving (Nusa Penida, Amed)	April–October	January–February (poorer visibility)
Mt. Batur sunrise	May–October	November–April (more cloud)
Nusa Penida day trip	April–October	January–February (rough seas)
Family holiday	June, July, September	January–February
Honeymoon	May, June, September	July–August (expensive)
Budget trip	January, February, March	July–August, Christmas

Price calendar

Period	Season	Flight prices	Mid-range hotel
January–March	Low season	Lowest	$60–90 a night
April–May	Shoulder season	Low (higher at Easter)	$80–120 a night
June	Shoulder season	Medium	$90–140 a night
July–August	High season	Highest	$120–200+ a night
September–October	Shoulder season	Medium	$80–120 a night
November	Low season	Low	$70–100 a night
December (Christmas and New Year)	High season	Highest	$140–250+ a night

What you pay for flights depends mostly on where you fly from. A return ticket is often $300–600 from Australia and Southeast Asia, and $700–1,600 from the Middle East, Europe or North America. Australian school holidays (around April, late June–July, late September–early October and December–January) also push up prices and crowds.

The full price overview, with food, transport and activities, is in how much it costs to travel to Bali.

Festivals worth knowing about

Galungan, Bali’s most important festival. The Balinese celebrate the ancestral spirits visiting the island, and all of Bali is decorated with tall bamboo poles (penjor) outside the houses. The celebration lasts ten days, until Kuningan. Galungan comes every 210 days. In 2027 it falls on 13 January and 11 August.

Nyepi, the Balinese New Year. 8 March 2027. For 24 hours everything shuts down: no traffic, no lights and no flights. The evening before, the Ogoh-Ogoh parade with giant papier-mâché figures fills the streets. It’s one of the most remarkable experiences in Asia, but you have to stay at your hotel all day.

Our conclusion

After four years in Bali, our recommendation is always the same. May gives you stable weather, sensible prices and few crowds. September is as lovely as July, but with fewer tourists and lower prices. June has great weather without peak-season prices. July and August are glorious, but busy and expensive, so book 4–6 months ahead. January and February are the cheapest and quietest. The showers do come, but Bali is still beautiful.

Read also Bali for first-time travellers, how many days you need and the Bali trip planning checklist.

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