The best time to visit Bali

If you're planning a trip to Bali, one of the first things you'll need to decide on is when to go. Weather is one of the main considerations, but it's also a good idea to know when the peak and off-peak tourist seasons are, as well as significant annual events and festivals that may affect your travel plans or the cost of your flights and accommodation.

• Bali weather
• Key dates that may affect your plans
• Surf seasons

Bali weather

Dry season: May – October

Wet season: November – April

Indonesia is so close to the equator that it doesn't really have a summer and winter, but it does have a wet season and a dry season. The dry season is generally considered the best time to visit, so it's the peak tourist season, however many Australians take their holidays in Bali during the wetter months of December and January, since that's when our own peak holiday season falls.

The weather in Bali is hot and humid all year round, but humidity and downpours increase during the wet season. During the dry season, coastal areas often experience pleasant cool breezes in the evenings.

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Key dates that may affect your travel plans

Christmas

Although Christmas falls in the middle of the low (wet) season, it's usually a busy time in Bali because of the number of Westerners who take their holidays at that time of year.

School holidays

Because Australians make up such a large number of Bali's visitors, Australian school holiday dates have an effect on airfares and accommodation availability.

Ramadan and Eid

Indonesia is a predominantly Muslim country, however most Balinese people are Hindus.

Many Islamic Indonesians fast throughout the day during the holy month of Ramadan. In areas outside of Bali, including the neighbouring island of Lombok, it's considered disrespectful to eat, drink or smoke in public during Ramadan, and many cafes and restaurants may be closed during daylight hours. Bali is mostly unaffected, particularly in the tourist areas.

Accommodation in Bali can be harder to find during Eid, the celebration at the end of Ramadan, which is when many Indonesians take their holidays. Flights to Bali, particularly domestic flights, will also be in higher demand.

Ramadan falls on different dates every year depending on the moon. In 2017 it's estimated that Ramadan will begin on Saturday 27 May.

Nyepi

Bali celebrates its lunar New Year, Nyepi, very differently to our own New Year revelry in Australia. After street parades and parties on the eve of Nyepi, the Balinese people enjoy a 24-hour period of silence and inactivity. Tourists are expected to observe this custom as well – so that means staying in your hotel room and doing (and saying) nothing. Even Bali's international airport closes down for the day and only emergency services are in operation.

The date of Nyepi changes every year – falling on the first new moon after mid-march. In 2017, Nyepi Day will fall on Tuesday 28 March.

Indonesian Schoolies

The peak season can get extra crowded at the end of the Indonesian school year (June/July) when local high school graduates celebrate a far less rowdy version of 'Schoolies', taking bus excursions to local tourist attractions.

Surf seasons

The surf's up in Bali all year round, but the conditions change with the seasons. During the dry season the easterly winds create ideal swells on the island's west coast. And during the wet season the change of wind direction gives the east coast its turn.