Best Time to Visit Ubud

Dry season: June to September

This is the easy time to be in Ubud. July to September scores best. August is the driest month, with rain on only about six days, and September matches it for dry days. Mornings and evenings feel cooler, and the sun shows up for most of the day.

You can walk the Campuhan Ridge Walk without a soaking. You can also cycle through the rice fields near Tegallalang, and the terraces are easier to enjoy when the sky is clear. The catch is the crowds. July and August overlap with European and Australian school holidays, so the Monkey Forest and the Tegallalang terraces fill up fast. If you hate queues, try June or early September instead.

Wet season: December to March

January is the wettest month, with rain on 28 days. February and March are only slightly better. Expect sticky air, grey skies and heavy downpours, often in the afternoon. Roads can flood, and some rice-field paths turn to mud.

It's not all bad. Prices for rooms usually drop, and the temples and cafés are quieter. Travelling on a budget? You'll find the best deals here. Just plan indoor time, like a cooking class, a spa or the Neka Art Museum. Christmas and New Year are the exception, because they're busy even in the rain.

The in-between months

April, May, October and November are the shoulder seasons. May and June are the pick of them. The rain eases, the sun returns, and the crowds haven't peaked. October is warm and mostly fine, though showers begin to build. November is a step back toward the wet, with rain on 19 days.

Pick May or October if you want a mix of decent weather and fewer people.

Festivals worth planning around

Nyepi, the Balinese day of silence, falls in March or April and changes each year. The night before, giant papier-mâché monsters called ogoh-ogoh are paraded through the streets. On Nyepi itself, everything shuts, including the airport, and you stay in your hotel. Galungan and Kuningan are big temple festivals that come around every 210 days, so check the Balinese calendar. Streets are lined with tall bamboo poles called penjor. In late July, the Ubud Village Jazz Festival has sometimes been held, but check before you build a trip around it. The Ubud Writers & Readers Festival usually lands in October and draws a bookish crowd.