When is the best time to go? Is the rainy season so terrible? Read our Bali Weather Guide! Find out the best time for a beach holiday and surfing.
The rainy season in Bali
The rainy season in Bali lasts five months (November - March), of which the rainiest - December, January and February... Is the rainy season so terrible? No, it just sounds scary. In fact, precipitation lasts only a few hours, and even then mostly at night. During the day, they also happen - they start abruptly and just as abruptly end. Usually then the sun comes out and dries everything up. You can get tanned even if it's cloudy!
The most unusual thing about the weather in Bali is that if it is raining on one part of the island, it can be dry at a distance of 20-30 km from this place. We have experienced this for ourselves: in Ubud it can be stuffy and hot, and at some distance it can be cool and cloudy.
The main disadvantage of the low season is high air humidity. For many, heat and humidity are difficult to tolerate. The stuffiness is especially exhausting at night, so be sure to book an air-conditioned hotel! It is also difficult to plan excursions and trips during the rainy season. Especially water ones - they can be canceled due to large waves.
Another fat minus is muddy water, big waves and debris on the beaches. The air and water temperatures are almost the same - some people like it, but I don't. I like cooler water.
From the pros: there are almost no tourists, and the prices for vacations are loyal, including tours. Many fruits ripen. Some tourists believe that it is better to relax in Bali during the low season, and specially go to soak up the spa centers.
When is the beach season in Bali
In order to spend as much time as possible on the beach and go on excursions, it is definitely best to relax in Bali during the dry season. It starts already at aprilbut tourists come in droves from May to the end of October... At this time, the weather is ideal for relaxation - there is no excess moisture and almost no rain.
Surfing season in Bali, in principle, it lasts all year round, just each of the months has its own characteristics. Surfers love July and August when the waves are right.
The downside of the beach holiday season in Bali is that everything is expensive. There are a lot of tourists, and prices for services and tours are growing. If you want to see good weather and not such high prices, do as we do - come at the beginning of the high season. it May and partly June... In April it is also not bad, but stuffy.
Bali Monthly Weather
April
Let's start in April - this is the transition to the dry season. Rains are rare and if they do, it is in the evening and at night. During our stay, they were only a couple of times during the day. The air humidity is not as comfortable as in summer - it is rather stuffy and humid.
But this is a great time to travel to the waterfalls, because they are full of water. The thrill is to leave the hot coast or the center of the island in the cool fogs of mountain Bali. We rode a bike to lava fields, mountain lakes, rice terraces and waterfalls. Such beauty! Just bring your raincoats and warm clothes, because it's cool and rainy in the mountains.
May
We did not notice a significant difference between the weather in May and April - it is equally warm and good (+ 32 ° C during the day), it rains at night. Is that the humidity is slightly lower. Water temperature + 28 ° С. For active beach activities and excursions - just the right thing! Find out about the best excursions in Bali.
This is the beginning of the tourist season, and vacation is not so expensive yet - you can find a tour and accommodation cheaper. For example, in Ubud we rented a two-story villa with a pool for $ 60 per day on Airbnb.
An additional bonus - delicious durians! We have never tasted such delicious ones anywhere else (and at the same time cheap!). In May, quite a few durians are sold in villages closer to the mountains and along mountain roads.
June - September
It is during these months that the best time to relax in Bali! The weather conditions are excellent: during the day + 31 ° С, the sea is fresh milk. It rains very rarely, the humidity is comfortable, the feeling of stuffiness disappears at night. The least rainfall is in August.
These months are great for island travel, beach and nightlife activities. You can watch dolphins, go surfing, diving and fishing, water skiing and jet skiing.
October
October is still good for a holiday in Bali, but this is the last month of the dry season. The weather is similar to May. It is hottest on the Bukit Peninsula, slightly cooler in Ubud, in the mountains and in the north. The water temperature in the ocean is + 27 ° С.
Several public holidays are celebrated in October, and surfing competitions are held in Kuta. Good waves form on the beaches of Uluwatu and Kuta.
November
November is the transition month in Bali to the rainy season. You should not go out for a walk without a raincoat. Usually it rains for an hour or two, after which the sun appears, and you can go to the beach again or go on an excursion. The sun is baking and the nights are getting hot and sultry.
December - february
In Bali, the weather in December, January and February is damp and warm: often cloudy, there are very few sunny days. Lots of rain, high humidity. The rains can be drizzling, or it can be torrential for an hour or two.
It is hot during the day, about + 30 ° С, at night the temperature drops slightly, so it is stuffy. The water is very warm + 29 ° С, but cloudy. The ocean is often worried, which makes bathing impossible. But good for surfers!
Nevertheless, tourists are not afraid of all this: on Christmas and New Years in Bali there are full of tourists from Europe and Russia, and on Chinese New Year - the Chinese.
March
A great reason to go to Bali in March is to catch the Balinese New Year, Nyepi. It is called the Day of Silence. As for the weather, precipitation occurs mainly at night. In general, there are 17 cloudy days in March, the humidity is no longer as high as in winter, but against the background of the 33-degree heat it is still hot and stuffy. Strong winter winds abate and surfer spots begin at the end of the month.
The famous blogger and presenter understands what the phenomenon of the popularity of Bali is, talks about surfing, beaches and hotels. Take a look!
