Too Many Tourists Snub This Beautiful, Less-Crowded Season For A Trip To Bali

Bali has two distinct seasons: The dry season from April to October and the monsoon season from November to March. There is little difference in the temperature, which settles from 24°C (75°F) to 29°C (85°F), but there is a marked shift in rain patterns, which are sudden, intense, and capable of starting flash floods and other disruptions.

This doesn't mean you should avoid the monsoon season, though. A long-distance hike may be inadvisable, but travelers would be wise to embrace the intermittent, short-lived downpours — even if just for the views. Rain disperses the fair-weather crowds and nourishes the landscape, filling the rivers, charging the waterfalls, and blooming Bali's lush verdant colors.

Rain also helps slash the costs of plane tickets and accommodations, while freeing up the island's many excursions, from surfing and spelunking to cooking schools and spa days. So, before you snub, check out why Bali is still great in the 5-month monsoon season.

The monsoon conditions prevent some activities. Rough waves suspend the island's diving trips and flash foods cancel the most challenging hikes. But surfing, perhaps Bali's most famous pastime, remains strong throughout the season; in fact, inclement weather can improve a day's surfing with larger swells and more consistent waves. If you prefer to stay dry for a day or avoid the elements completely, then Bali has many spas and yoga studios housed in airy bamboo huts overlooking leaning palm trees, lush grasses, sandy beaches, and rocky, trickling streams.

This is also an ideal destination for special activities like chef-guided cooking classes, too. In the town of Ubud, Chef Ketut provides friendly instruction in hands-on lessons teaching a variety of recipes including vegetable curry, Balinese fried chicken, grilled fish, and a dessert called kolak pisang, which is a braised banana saba in palm sugar gravy.

A mixture of sun chasing and summer holidays causes most international visitors to choose Bali's dry season. In 2023, monthly tourist numbers began at 331,912 in January, the wettest month of the year, and peaked at 541,353 in July, one of the driest, before falling to 403,154 in November, the beginning of the rainy season.

In July, the the worthwhile flight to Bali's Ngurah Rai International Airport from San Francisco will cost around $1,991. By January, prices can be as low as $1,000. The same is true in Europe, where Singapore Airlines flights departing London drop from around £1600 in July to $985 in January. Accommodation experiences similar price differences with 3-star hotels reducing rates by up to 50%.

The monsoon dip is a gift for anyone who values peace and solitude. Thanks to thinner crowds in some of Bali's best locations, visitors can relax and reflect in serene landscapes across the island, such as Suluban Beach in Uluwatu and Sundays Beach in Ungasan, on Bali's southern tip.