At a glance
When is the best time to visit Bali?
The dry season, from about mid-April to the end of October in the south of the island, is the usual choice for beaches and walking. The rainy season runs from early November to early April. Temperatures are warm and steady all year, so the choice is about rain and crowds.
Bali is tropical, and its seasons follow the rain, not the thermometer. At Ngurah Rai, Denpasar's airport, the mean temperature ranges only from 26.1 °C in August to 28.0 °C in November, and the relative humidity from 78% to 82%[1].
Indonesia's meteorological agency, BMKG, maps the country into season zones, each with its own normal start and end of the dry and rainy seasons. For the zone that covers south Badung, south Gianyar, south Tabanan and Denpasar, its 1991–2020 normals put the dry season from the middle of April to the end of October[2] and the rainy season from the first ten days of November to the first ten days of April[3]. Other parts of Bali, including the highlands, have their own dates.
What is Bali like each month?
From May to October, the south of Bali is in its normal dry season; from December to March it is in its rainy season, and April and November are the changeover months. The mean temperature stays between 26 °C and 28 °C, and arrivals are highest from June to September.
South Bali by month: normal season, mean temperature, humidity and arrivals
| Month | Normal season (south Bali) | Mean temperature | Humidity | Foreign arrivals, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Rainy | 27.8 °C | 81% | 529,897 |
| February | Rainy | 27.8 °C | 81% | 450,697 |
| March | Rainy | 27.7 °C | 81% | 470,851 |
| April | Rainy until early April, then dry | 27.8 °C | 82% | 591,221 |
| May | Dry | 27.3 °C | 81% | 602,213 |
| June | Dry | 26.8 °C | 80% | 637,868 |
| July | Dry | 26.2 °C | 78% | 697,107 |
| August | Dry | 26.1 °C | 78% | 682,866 |
| September | Dry | 26.5 °C | 80% | 635,149 |
| October | Dry | 27.4 °C | 80% | 594,853 |
| November | Rainy from early November | 28.0 °C | 80% | 483,364 |
| December | Rainy | 27.9 °C | 81% | 572,668 |
Seasons: BMKG's 1991–2020 normals for season zone 435 (south Badung, south Gianyar, south Tabanan and Denpasar)[2][3]. Temperature and humidity: WMO 1991–2020 normals for Ngurah Rai, monthly means (the file gives no daily highs or lows)[1]. Arrivals: direct foreign arrivals to Bali, Bali Provincial Tourism Office from BPS Bali figures[6].
The coolest months are the middle of the dry season: July and August have the lowest mean temperatures and humidity of the year[1]. They are also the busiest. Bali received 6,948,754 direct foreign arrivals in 2025; July was the peak, with 697,107, and February the quietest, with 450,697[6].
Will the 2026–27 rainy season come late?
BMKG expects so. On 22 September 2026 the agency said a very strong El Niño was under way and that the 2026–27 rains would start later than normal across 61.08% of Indonesia. For Bali, it expects rains from November 2026 in parts of the island and from December in most of it.
The agency's outlook puts the peak of the rainy season in January 2027 for central Bali and February 2027 for most of the island[4]. A late start would extend the dry weather into November in much of Bali; the agency's forecasts are updated through the season, so check them before you travel.
When is Nyepi, the Day of Silence?
Nyepi, the Balinese Day of Silence and Saka New Year, falls on Monday 8 March 2027, according to Indonesia's joint ministerial decree on the 2027 national holidays. If your trip crosses that date, check with your hotel and airline.
The decree lists Hari Suci Nyepi (Tahun Baru Saka 1949) as a national holiday on 8 March 2027, just before the Idul Fitri holidays on 10 and 11 March[5].
How do the UAE school holidays line up with Bali?
The summer holidays, from 3 July 2027, and the October mid-term, 12 to 18 October 2026, fall in the dry season. Winter break, 14 December 2026 to 3 January 2027, falls in the rainy season, and spring break, 5 to 11 April 2027, at the changeover to the dry season.
UAE school breaks in 2026–27, and Bali at the same time
| UAE break | Dates | In Bali |
|---|---|---|
| Mid-term | 12–18 October 2026 | End of the normal dry season; 2026–27 rains expected late |
| Winter | 14 December 2026 – 3 January 2027 | Normal rainy season; 572,668 arrivals in December 2025 |
| Spring | 5–11 April 2027 | Changeover from the rainy to the dry season in the south |
| Summer | From 3 July 2027 (school ends on 2 July) | Dry season; July and August the busiest months |
UAE dates from the Ministry of Education's calendar for schools that follow it[9]; check your own school's dates. Bali: BMKG seasons[2][3][4], arrivals[6].
Bali keeps Central Indonesian Time, eight hours ahead of GMT, under the presidential decree that divides Indonesia into three time zones[7]. The UAE is four hours ahead of GMT[8], so Bali is four hours ahead of the UAE.
Entry requirements for Indonesia depend on your passport, and we do not restate them. Indonesia's Directorate General of Immigration runs the official visa website, and our visa desk can check your case.
Questions travellers ask
What is the best month to visit Bali?
For dry weather in the south, May to September, the heart of the normal dry season[2]. July and August are the coolest months but also the busiest[1][6].
When is the rainy season in Bali?
In the south, around Denpasar, BMKG's 1991–2020 normals run it from early November to early April[3]. In 2026–27 the agency expects it to start late, in November for parts of Bali and December for most of the island[4].
Is Bali very hot?
It is warm and humid all year rather than extremely hot: the mean temperature at Ngurah Rai is 26–28 °C in every month, with humidity near 80%[1].
When is Nyepi in 2027?
On Monday 8 March 2027[5].
Do I need a visa for Bali?
It depends on your passport, and we do not restate visa rules. See the official visa website of Indonesia's Directorate General of Immigration, or ask our visa desk.
Sources
The desk opened each source on the date shown. Rules, fees and timetables change: check the official source before you travel.
- [1]WMO Climatological Standard Normals 1991–2020 (NCEI Accession 0253808), station files StasiunMeteorologiIGustiNgurahRai_97230.csv — WMO Member Nations (BMKG), via NOAA NCEI. Accessed 29 September 2026
- [2]Prediksi Musim Kemarau 2026 di Indonesia — BMKG (Badan Meteorologi, Klimatologi, dan Geofisika). Accessed 26 September 2026
- [3]Prediksi Musim Hujan 2025/2026 di Indonesia — BMKG (Badan Meteorologi, Klimatologi, dan Geofisika). Accessed 26 September 2026
- [4]BMKG: El Niño Sangat Kuat sedang Terjadi, Musim Hujan 2026/2027 Diprediksi Datang Lebih Lambat (22 September 2026) — BMKG (Badan Meteorologi, Klimatologi, dan Geofisika). Accessed 26 September 2026
- [5]Keputusan Bersama Menteri Agama, Menteri Ketenagakerjaan, dan Menteri PANRB tentang Hari Libur Nasional dan Cuti Bersama Tahun 2027 — Government of Indonesia (JDIH, Ministry of Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform). Accessed 26 September 2026
- [6]Table 4: Direct foreign tourist arrivals to Bali by month, 2017 - 2025 — Bali Provincial Tourism Office (Dinas Pariwisata Provinsi Bali), from BPS Bali. Accessed 26 September 2026
- [7]Keputusan Presiden Nomor 41 Tahun 1987 tentang Pembagian Wilayah Republik Indonesia menjadi 3 (tiga) Wilayah Waktu — Government of Indonesia (BPK legal database). Accessed 26 September 2026
- [8]Fact sheet — The UAE Government portal (u.ae). Accessed 26 September 2026
- [9]MOE announces the academic calendar for the next three years — UAE Ministry of Education. Accessed 26 September 2026
- [10]The Official eVisa website for Indonesia — Directorate General of Immigration, Indonesia. Accessed 26 September 2026
Published 26 September 2026 · Updated 29 September 2026
Seen something wrong or out of date? Write to trade@nwp.ae and the desk will check it against the source.
