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The short answer: April to October is Bali’s dry season and the most reliable time to visit. May, June and September give you that weather with fewer people; July, August and the Christmas to New Year fortnight are the busiest and most expensive weeks of the year. The wet season, November to March, is warmer, greener and quieter — and for a villa stay, where much of the day happens around a covered pavilion and a private pool, it is better than its reputation.
Bali month by month
| Months | Season | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| January – February | Wet | The wettest months. Heavy afternoon and evening downpours, high humidity, quiet outside the New Year week. |
| March | Wet, easing | Rain starts to tail off. Nyepi, the Day of Silence, usually falls this month — see below. |
| April – June | Dry | Dry, still green after the rains, and before the main summer peak. The best all-round window for many groups. |
| July – August | Dry, peak | The most reliable weather and the heaviest demand. Large villas are booked well ahead and rates are at their highest. |
| September – October | Dry | Dry and warm, with demand easing after August. Another strong window. |
| November – December | Wet | Rain returns through November. Quiet until mid-December, then a sharp peak over Christmas and New Year. |
What the wet season is really like
Rain in Bali rarely lasts all day. More often it arrives as a heavy downpour in the afternoon or evening, then clears. Mornings are frequently bright, temperatures stay in the high twenties to low thirties, and the island is at its greenest. Roads and some walking trails are muddier, sea conditions are less predictable, and the humidity is noticeable.
For a villa stay this matters less than it does for a hotel holiday. A staffed villa with a pool, open pavilions and a private chef works in the rain in a way a beach-and-sunbed itinerary does not. Availability is also far better outside the peak weeks, and many owners set lower rates for the wet season.
Nyepi: the day Bali switches off
Nyepi, the Balinese Day of Silence, marks the Saka new year and usually falls in March; the exact date changes each year. For 24 hours from six in the morning, the whole island stops. The airport closes, roads are empty, and visitors are expected to stay within their villa or hotel with lights kept low. The evening before is the opposite: villages parade large ogoh-ogoh effigies through the streets.
In a private villa Nyepi is a remarkable experience — a full day of quiet with the staff preparing meals in advance. What you cannot do is arrive, leave or travel across the island that day, so check the date before booking flights.
Surf seasons by coast
Wind decides where the waves are good. In the dry season the trade winds blow from the southeast, offshore on the west coast and the Bukit: this is when Uluwatu, Padang Padang, Bingin and Canggu are at their best. In the wet season the wind swings round from the west, and the reefs on the east side of the island work better while the west coast gets choppy.
Uluwatu’s reef breaks are powerful and shallow in any season and suit experienced surfers. Beginners are better served by Canggu’s beach breaks, which are rideable most of the year.
Which area in which season
- Seminyak and Canggu work year-round; in the wet season you are close to restaurants and cafes when it rains.
- The Bukit — Uluwatu and Ungasan — is at its best in the dry season, when the water is clearest and the surf is offshore. It is also the drier part of the island.
- Ubud is cooler in the evenings all year and tends to see more rain than the coast. Rice terraces are greenest during and just after the wet season.
When to book
For July, August and Christmas to New Year, the larger villas — six bedrooms and up — are usually requested many months in advance, and Australian school holidays fill the family villas first. If your dates fall in those weeks, start early and keep a second choice in mind. Outside them, shorter lead times are usually fine.
Tell us your dates and group size and we will tell you honestly what the weather and availability look like for that week. Our villas are at Bali villa rentals.
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