When is the best time to visit Bali?

Bali's two seasons in one view

Bali sits close to the equator, so its year is divided by rain rather than by temperature. The national tourism board describes a dry season from April to October and a wet season from November to March for most of Indonesia, including Java and Bali. The monthly averages for Denpasar, the island's main weather station, fit that outline closely and show how sharp the change is.

The averages below are from the WMO World Weather Information Service, which republishes data supplied by BMKG, Indonesia's meteorological agency. The period is 1961 to 1990, so they are a long-run guide to the pattern and not a description of recent years. Denpasar is on the southern coast, so it describes the south of the island better than the northern coast or the highlands.

Why the seasons change

BMKG's March 2026 announcement explains the mechanism in one line: the shift from the Asian monsoon, with westerly winds, to the Australian monsoon, with easterly winds, marks the start of the dry season. The same release said that 2026 was expected to bring an earlier-than-usual start across much of Sumatra, Java, Bali and Nusa Tenggara, and that Bali and all of Nusa Tenggara were expected to reach the peak of the dry season in August.

That announcement is a seasonal outlook issued on 4 March 2026, not a record of what happened. BMKG also said the El Nino-Southern Oscillation was neutral at the time and gave a 50 to 60 percent chance of a weak to moderate El Nino in the second half of 2026. Years vary, so treat both the tourism board's April to October window and the Denpasar averages as a guide, and check BMKG's own forecasts near your dates.

The tourism board adds two cautions that apply to Bali: seasons are relative and regional variation is significant, and global warming has made the seasons less predictable. It also notes that temperatures fall about 1 degree Celsius for every 90 metres of altitude, which matters if you plan to spend time in the cooler uplands.

Month by month in Denpasar

The rain pattern is stark. Rain totals 345 mm in January, 274 mm in February and 234 mm in March, and 276 mm in December. January also has the most rain days, 27 in the month. From June to October every month stays at or below 63 mm, with August the driest at 25 mm over 4 days.

Temperatures move less. The average high ranges from 29.6 degrees Celsius in August to 34.4 in April, and the average low from 22.5 in August to 24.8 in April. July and August have the lowest average highs (30.4 and 29.6); August has the lowest average low (22.5), with September (22.9) just below July (23.0). The tourism board gives relative humidity of 70 to 90 percent for Indonesia in general, so even the dry months feel humid.

Shoulder months: April, May, September and October

The edges of the dry season are the transition months. April averages 88 mm on 9 days and May 93 mm on 8 days, noticeably wetter than June (53 mm) but far drier than March (234 mm). April is also the hottest month on average, at 34.4 degrees Celsius by day.

On the other side, September is a dry month (47 mm on 8 days), October rises to 63 mm on 12 days and November to 179 mm on 16 days. October still records less rain than April or May, but the rain-day count is already 12, the first sign of the wet season returning. Since BMKG's start and end dates move from year to year, the shoulder months are the ones most likely to differ from the averages.

Seasonal hazards to plan around

In the wet season the main practical issue is rain itself. In the Denpasar averages, January has rain on 27 days, so rain is recorded on most days of the month. This page has no source for local flooding or landslide patterns, so check BMKG and local authority notices for the area you will stay in.

In the dry season the 2026 outlook was for a drier-than-average year across much of Indonesia: BMKG said 64.5 percent of seasonal zones were expected to be drier than normal. That is a dated statement from March 2026, not an account of what followed, so look at BMKG's current forecasts and any local advisories close to your dates.

Humid heat can feel more intense than the thermometer suggests. The averages show highs above 32 degrees Celsius for eight months from October to May, so plan outdoor activity for the cooler parts of the day in those months.

Best months by purpose

The list is our reading of the Denpasar table and the sources above. It is a selection by weather, not a ranking, and it ignores prices and crowds.

• Driest weather: June to September, with Denpasar rain between 25 and 55 mm a month and August the driest at 25 mm.
• Cooler days and nights: July and August, with average highs of 30.4 and 29.6 degrees Celsius and lows of 23.0 and 22.5 (September's low is 22.9).
• Fewer rain days with some warmth: April and May, with 9 and 8 rain days but the hottest highs of the year in April.
• Avoiding the heaviest rain: skip December to March, when Denpasar rain runs from 234 to 345 mm a month.
• Early wet season: November, when rain has returned (179 mm) but is below the December to March totals.

Planning a longer stay

A longer stay changes the calculation. In the wet months a self-catering kitchen gives you somewhere to eat on the many days when rain makes going out less appealing, and in the dry months laundry and cooking facilities help keep a routine going. Our stays in Bali are in the table below, and our note on when to book an aparthotel covers timing and cancellation terms.

If you are combining Bali with other islands, remember that the tourism board says the dry-wet pattern is general for Java and Bali and that regional variation is significant, so check the specific island. For entry rules, check the official Indonesian immigration website before you book.