Best Time to Visit Bali

When to visit Bali depends of course on what you are planning to do there and not too much on the weather. The weather, in general, is pretty stable in Bali, and here are some tips to find the best time to visit Bali. If you are going there for specific reasons or activities or festivals, then you might want to plan around it.

Weather in Bali

Bali’s has a tropical climate and it is considered to have only two seasons – dry or wet. The dry season is from April to October and the wet season from November to March.

In terms of weather, the best time to go to Bali is from July to August as the temperature is at its coolest at these times and also the driest in terms of rain. But it is also the peak season naturally, thus take note of the tourist crowds and do book in advance.

Also, note that the weather is also changing nowadays and it may differ from the usual schedule that we know about. Therefore, come to Bali with an open mind and heart and don’t let any weather changes affect your trip.

However, it is still possible to travel in the rainy season. It may still rain during the dry season and not rain for a week in the wet season, and it usually comes down in short blasts in the evening or late afternoons. Therefore if you must, traveling in Bali during the wet seasons is still possible if you do most of your sightseeing in the morning and early afternoons and rest in the evenings.

High/Peak and Low Season in Bali

From April to September will be the high season in Bali, as it is purportedly the dry season and also generally the summer holiday season in many parts of the world.

The quieter months are from October to March, and though it is considered the rainy seasons, most of the rains come only in the evening and leave pretty quickly. Therefore, it is still possible to enjoy Bali in this weather if you plan your days earlier and rest in the evening.

Best time to visit Bali

The best months to go to Bali in terms of weather and also the crowd are the shoulder seasons, that is either March or October. At these times, you will have a relatively dry weather yet without the tourist crowds!

Take note also of peak seasons, which are July and August during the summer vacations of the Europeans and mid-December to late January for the Australian school holidays. This is especially obvious in the famous touristy places like Bali, Lombok and Gili Islands.

Festivals in Bali

If you want to visit some of the festivals in Bali^[1], here are some of the popular and interesting festivals to visit that you might want to look out for:

February / March

Bau Nyale Festival – In February or March, hundreds of people will rush to Lombok to catch a glimpse of the first nyale (worm-like fish) at the huge fishing festival.

March / April

Bali Nyepi day – also known as the day of silence, is celebrated every year as the Hindu New Year (Saka new year). The date changes according to Balinese calendar every year but would usually fall between March and April.
Bali Spirit Festival – a gathering of world-renowned musicians, yogis and dancers from around the world for a celebration in April.

June / July

Bali Arts Festival^[2] – Normally around June-July, , almost forgotten ritual and village dances, food and offerings, classical palace dance and even contemporary dances from the schools of Denpasar.
-> Check out more about Bali Art Festivals^[3].

July / August

Bali Kite Festival – held yearly in July in Padang Galak Area, Sanur Beach, Bali. People from Denpasar villages will make their traditional giant kites and fly them in a competition.

October

Ubud Writer’s Festival – its mission is simply to create a literary event that encourages free speech among people from all walks of life, race and gender to celebrate the beauty of the written words.

Related articles:
Best Time to Visit Indonesia
Top 10 Must Visit Places in Bali
Top 10 Tourist Attractions in Bali
Top 10 Best Beaches in Bali^[4][5][6][7]