When is the best time to visit Bali and Indonesia?

Quick answer by priority

• Best weather: July to September. August is Bali's driest month, with about 15 mm of rain on average.

• Best balance of weather, crowds and price: May, June and September.

• Fewest crowds: late January to March and November, outside the holiday spikes, if you accept daily rain.

• Cheapest: the wet season, except the Christmas to New Year fortnight, which is one of the most expensive of the year.

• Culture: Galungan and Kuningan (13 and 23 January, 11 and 21 August 2027), and the Bali Arts Festival around June to July.

• Avoid or plan around: Nyepi on Monday 8 March 2027, when the whole island, including the airport, shuts for 24 hours.

Bali month by month

Typical Bali (Denpasar) averages from long-term climate normals. The coast is about 29 to 32°C (84 to 90°F) by day all year; the change is rain and humidity, not temperature. Munduk, Kintamani and the Ubud highlands run several degrees cooler.

• January and February: about 25 to 31°C (77 to 88°F), the wettest months at around 280 to 350 mm. Rice terraces are lush, sunrise treks up Mount Batur are often clouded in, and sea conditions on the Nusa Penida crossing are less reliable.

• March: about 215 mm, rain easing. Nyepi falls on 8 March in 2027, followed by Eid al-Fitr on 10 to 11 March, so ferries and flights between Java and Bali are busy that week.

• April and May: about 75 to 90 mm. The dry season starts, prices are still moderate. Our Seminyak, Munduk and Ubud stops fell in the second half of May.

• June: about 24 to 30°C (75 to 86°F), around 70 mm. Our pick for Bali: dry, pleasant in the highlands, before the school holidays. The Bali Arts Festival usually opens in June in Denpasar.

• July and August: about 23 to 29°C (73 to 84°F), the driest and least humid months (around 15 to 50 mm). Peak season: book Ubud and Uluwatu rooms well ahead and expect queues at Tegallalang and Tanah Lot.

• September and October: about 40 to 90 mm, still mostly dry and quieter than August. Good for diving off Amed and Nusa Penida.

• November and December: about 150 to 290 mm, the rains return. Christmas and New Year bring a sharp price spike despite the weather.

Best time to visit Indonesia: Bali vs Java vs Lombok vs Komodo

Indonesia sits south of the equator, so the dry season for the main tourist islands is roughly April or May to October, not the November to April window most of mainland Southeast Asia uses. That makes Indonesia a good mid-year pairing with a winter trip to Thailand or Vietnam.

Java (Yogyakarta, Borobudur, Bromo, Ijen): similar pattern to Bali. Jakarta's averages show the driest stretch from June to September (about 45 to 95 mm a month) and heavy rain from December to March. Sunrise at Bromo and the blue fire at Ijen both depend on clear pre-dawn skies, so dry-season months are the safer bet. Kawah Ijen's hiking gate opens about 2:00 to 12:00 local time and closes on one scheduled Friday a month for a clean-up programme, and at short notice for weather or volcanic activity, so check the park page before travelling.

Lombok and the Gili Islands: drier than Bali in the middle of the year, with only about 20 to 45 mm a month in June to September in Mataram, and wet from November to March. Mount Rinjani trekking routes usually close from January to March; in 2026 they reopened on 1 April, and the park has restricted climbing at times in the dry season for fire risk, so confirm with the national park office before booking a trek.

Komodo and Labuan Bajo (Flores): the eastern islands have a longer, harsher dry season than Bali. Nearby stations show rain under about 60 mm a month from June to October, with days of about 32 to 35°C (90 to 95°F), hottest in September and October. Boat trips run year-round but seas are calmer in the dry months. The hills turn brown by August, which surprises people expecting green photos.

If you are combining Bali with Thailand: Thailand's Andaman coast is wet from May to October, the same months Bali is dry. Thailand in December to March and Bali from May to September is the cleanest split; April and October are the shoulder months that work tolerably for both.

Festivals, holidays and closures in 2027

• Galungan and Kuningan: 13 and 23 January, then 11 and 21 August 2027, from the 210-day Balinese calendar. Villages put up tall bamboo penjor along the roads and temples are busy; dress rules in our Bali temple etiquette guide.

• Lunar New Year (Imlek): 6 February 2027, a national holiday.

• Nyepi: Monday 8 March 2027. Bali stops for 24 hours from 06:00; in 2026 the airport suspended all regular flights for that window. Hotels stay open but guests must stay inside. Full details in our Nyepi 2027 guide.

• Eid al-Fitr: 10 to 11 March 2027, with collective leave on 9, 12 and 15 March. Huge domestic travel across Java; Bali gets busy with Indonesian visitors.

• Waisak: 20 May 2027, the big day at Borobudur in Central Java.

Prices and crowds

Bali's room rates peak in July and August and again from about 20 December to early January. Australian school holidays (late June to mid-July, late September to early October) add another bump, especially in Kuta, Seminyak and Canggu. Indonesian domestic holidays, especially the Eid period, fill Java's trains and the Ketapang to Gilimanuk ferry.

The sweet spots are May to June and September: dry, with lower prices than August. For a first trip, our how many days in Bali and 18-day Bali itinerary show how the island splits between coast and highlands, and where to stay in Ubud covers the base most people use.

When not to go, honestly

December and January are the hardest months: heavy rain most afternoons, rough water on boat crossings, and high Christmas prices. Ubud and the highlands are still workable for temples, food and spas; beaches and Batur sunrise treks are not reliable.

Nyepi week only matters if you are flying in or out on the day itself, or want to be out and about. Many visitors book it on purpose for the silence and the ogoh-ogoh parades the night before.

Rubbish on the west coast beaches (Kuta, Legian, Seminyak) is worst in the wet season, when onshore winds wash plastic in. The dry season is the better time for those beaches. Before you go, see what to wear in Bali, the visa and e-VOA rules and our Indonesia guide.

Frequently asked questions