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Culture & etiquetteBy Clever Tourists · Published · Last updated
Pack light, quick-drying summer clothes for any month, plus a sarong and sash for temples and a warm layer for the highlands. Bali's coast is hot all year, about 29–32°C by day, so the real seasonal difference is rain: the wet season runs roughly November to March, with January averaging almost 390 mm, while July to September are the driest months. Temples are the one place with a real dress code: a sarong and sash are expected at nearly every pura. Beachwear belongs on the beach. We spent 19 May to 6 June 2023 in Bali, from Seminyak to Munduk, Ubud, Kintamani, Sidemen and Padangbai, at the start of the dry season.
Average daily highs and lows and monthly rainfall at Ngurah Rai airport on the south coast (1991–2020 averages). Temperatures barely move through the year; rainfall does. Wet-season rain tends to come as heavy afternoon and evening downpours rather than all-day drizzle.
The highlands are a different climate. Munduk and Kintamani sit high in the mountains and are noticeably cooler, especially at night and before dawn, and the Mount Batur sunrise trek starts in the dark on a chilly summit. Nyepi, the Day of Silence, is on 8 March 2027, when the whole island, airport included, shuts for 24 hours; see our Nyepi 2027 guide.
| Month | High / low | Rain | What to wear |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 31 / 25°C (88 / 77°F) | 388 mm | Quick-dry clothes, a rain jacket or poncho and sandals that cope with puddles. The wettest month. |
| February | 31 / 25°C (88 / 77°F) | 299 mm | As January. Heavy afternoon downpours. |
| March | 31 / 25°C (88 / 77°F) | 214 mm | Light clothes and rain gear. Nyepi falls in March. |
| April | 31 / 25°C (88 / 77°F) | 115 mm | Summer clothes. Rain eases as the dry season begins. |
| May | 31 / 25°C (87 / 77°F) | 73 mm | Summer clothes and a light layer for the highlands. |
| June | 30 / 25°C (86 / 76°F) | 51 mm | As May. Highland nights in Munduk and Kintamani are cool. |
| July | 29 / 24°C (84 / 75°F) | 30 mm | Light clothes and sun protection, plus a fleece for the mountains or a Batur sunrise trek. |
| August | 29 / 24°C (84 / 75°F) | 16 mm | As July. The driest month. |
| September | 30 / 24°C (86 / 75°F) | 41 mm | Light clothes. Still dry. |
| October | 31 / 25°C (88 / 76°F) | 68 mm | Light clothes, with more showers late in the month. |
| November | 32 / 25°C (89 / 78°F) | 149 mm | Light clothes plus rain gear as the wet season starts. |
| December | 31 / 25°C (87 / 78°F) | 299 mm | Quick-dry clothes and a rain jacket. Heavy rain and holiday crowds. |
As a woman: in Seminyak, Canggu and the beach towns, sundresses, shorts and tank tops are normal. Away from the beach, in villages, markets and around Ubud, covering your shoulders is the more polite choice and costs nothing in the heat if the fabric is loose. Bikinis and swimwear are for the beach and the pool, not for shops, restaurants or riding a scooter through town.
As a man: shorts and T-shirts are fine almost everywhere outside temples. Walking around shirtless away from the beach is seen as disrespectful.
The provincial government's 2023 do's and don'ts for tourists (Governor's Circular No. 4 of 2023) ask visitors to dress appropriately at sacred places, tourist attractions and public places, and ban entering the main part of a temple except to pray. See also what is considered rude in Indonesia.
A sarong (kamen) and sash (selendang) are expected at essentially every Balinese temple, for men and women, with covered shoulders. Big sites such as Uluwatu and Tirta Empul usually include a sarong with the entrance ticket; smaller temples rent or lend them for about 10,000–20,000 IDR (≈ $0.55–1.1), and some have nobody there at all, which is the reason to carry your own. At Tirta Empul a separate wet sarong is used for the purification pools.
The rules that are not about clothing matter as much: the inner sanctums are for worshippers, you don't climb on shrines or walls, and Balinese custom asks women who are menstruating not to enter temples. Our Bali temple etiquette guide covers each one, and Vietnam and Bali temple dress codes compares the two.
• Your own sarong and sash, or buy them cheaply in Ubud market on day one. A sarong also works as a beach cover-up and a light blanket.
• Light, quick-drying clothes: cotton takes a long time to dry in wet-season humidity.
• Sandals plus one pair of closed shoes for rice-terrace walks, waterfalls and Mount Batur.
• A fleece or light jacket for Munduk, Kintamani and sunrise treks.
• Rain gear from November to March; a poncho is handy on a scooter.
• Sun protection: hat, sunglasses and high-factor sunscreen.
• Insect repellent for evenings and the rice fields.
We arrived in Seminyak on 19 May 2023 and moved inland to Munduk, Ubud (25 to 30 May), Kintamani, Sidemen and Padangbai, leaving on 6 June; the route is in our 18-day Bali itinerary. That is the start of the dry season, and the difference between the coast and the hills was the main thing to pack for: beach clothes in Seminyak, a warm layer in Munduk and on the Kintamani ridge above Lake Batur.
Our cover photo, taken around Ubud, shows what local worshippers wear to temple: kebaya blouses and sarongs. In Sidemen, a valley village known for its weaving, our photos show the cloth itself being made on hand looms; it is a good place to buy a sarong worth keeping.
Only at temples, where a sarong and sash are expected at essentially every pura, for men and women. Major temples often include one with the ticket; smaller ones rent them for about 10,000 to 20,000 IDR (≈ $0.55–1.1).
Yes, everywhere except temples. Covering your shoulders away from the beach, in villages and around Ubud, is the more polite choice.
Quick-drying summer clothes, a rain jacket or poncho and sandals that can get wet. The coast stays around 31°C by day, and the rain comes mostly as heavy afternoon downpours from November to March.
Sundresses, shorts and tank tops are normal in the beach towns. In villages, markets and around Ubud, covered shoulders are more polite, and swimwear belongs on the beach and at the pool.
On the coast, no. In the highlands, such as Munduk and Kintamani, nights and early mornings are noticeably cool, and the Mount Batur sunrise trek needs a fleece.
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