Best Time to Visit Bali in 2026: When to Go From Canada, Month by Month

Canadians travel differently. Statistics of Bali Province counted 69,571 Canadian arrivals in 2025, and their five busiest months were January to May, led by March with 6,881. January to March sits in Bali's wet season, with 234 to 345 mm of rain a month on BMKG's long-term averages.

After the long trip from Canada, a HelloRoam Bali eSIM installed at home lets you book a ride and check the rain forecast in the Denpasar arrivals hall. Our support team replies 24/7, whatever the time back home in Canada.

Bali weather by month: most rain falls from December to March

Bali is hot all year, so plan around rain rather than temperature. BMKG, Indonesia's weather agency, publishes long-term averages for Denpasar through the World Meteorological Organization.

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These are BMKG's 1961 to 1990 averages, so treat them as a typical year, not a forecast. August is the coolest month, with highs of 29.6°C and lows of 22.5°C. April is the hottest, at 34.4°C.

April is close to dry. It averages 88 mm of rain, a little less than May's 93 mm, though it spreads that over 9 rain days instead of 8.

The Government of Canada's advice for Indonesia says the rainy season runs from November to March, but heavy rain is common all year. It warns that floods and landslides can hit parts of Bali with little warning, and that roads can become impassable.

El Niño is expected to delay Bali's 2026 to 2027 rains

If you land in November 2026, most of Bali should still be in its dry season. BMKG's Bali climatology station expects the wet season to start late in all 20 of the island's season zones.

In its forecast of 28 September 2026, reported by detik, 3 zones turn wet in November. The other 17, including Kuta, Denpasar and Ubud, follow in December. BMKG expects the heaviest rain in February 2027 in 16 zones, and a shorter wet season than normal in 18.

A BMKG observer said at the same briefing that a shorter season can pack its rain into fewer weeks. Downpours around the February peak could be heavier as a result, though BMKG still expects normal rainfall across most of Bali. NusaBali reported the areas to watch, on past records, as northern Tabanan, eastern Buleleng, northern Badung and northern Gianyar. RRI reported on 7 October that a very strong El Niño and a positive Indian Ocean Dipole are behind the delay.

Canada's advice for Indonesia, last updated on 4 November 2026, adds that El Niño is expected to strengthen into 2027. It says this may make droughts, floods and severe storms more likely. Seasonal forecasts shift, so check BMKG's forecast for Bali in the week before you fly.

Bali is busiest in July and August, but Canadians come most from January to May

Bali had 6,948,754 direct foreign arrivals in 2025, by the count of Statistics of Bali Province. The busiest month was July (697,107) and the quietest February (450,697). Virgin Australia's guide says the July and August high season matches Australia's winter school holidays, and adds a second peak at Christmas and New Year.

Canadian visits ran almost the other way. They peaked in March and were lowest in June (4,656) and August (4,860), so a summer trip from Canada lands in the island's busiest weeks.

The table comes from Statistics of Bali Province, published in the Bali Provincial Tourism Office's 2025 statistics book. Canada ranked 19th among Bali's markets in 2025, with 12.02% more arrivals than in 2024. Star-hotel occupancy tracks the overall crowd, from 69.54% in August down to 46.61% in March.

Month by month: what each season means for your trip

• January to March: expect frequent rain, with 345, 274 and 234 mm on BMKG's averages and 20 to 27 rain days a month. February and March were Bali's two quietest months for foreign arrivals in 2025. Galungan starts on 13 January 2027, and Nyepi closes the island on 8 March 2027.
• April to June: rain drops sharply, to 88, 93 and 53 mm. June is almost as dry as July (53 mm against 55 mm), yet it had about 59,000 fewer foreign arrivals in 2025. It was also the quietest month for Canadians.
• July and August: these months have the fewest rain days of the year, 4 each, and the most visitors. Virgin Australia, which flies to Bali from Australia, advises booking 6 weeks to 8 months ahead, and earlier still for July, August, December and January.
• September and October: still dry, at 47 and 63 mm, with foreign arrivals easing to 635,149 and 594,853. Hotels stayed busy, at 68.17% and 64.57% occupancy.
• November and December: rain builds to 179 mm over 16 days, then 276 mm over 22. November 2025 was one of the year's quietest months, with 483,364 foreign arrivals, and December climbed back to 572,668. For 2026, BMKG expects most of Bali to turn wet only in December.

Choose your months by activity: surf, dive, hike or honeymoon

Each activity has its own window. Virgin Australia's Bali guide, which cites Bali's surf schools for the surf months, sets them out like this:

The same guide puts the sea at 26°C to 30°C all year, so the water stays warm even when visibility drops in the wet season.

Indonesia's tourism ministry lists May to September as the best time at Old Man's at Batu Bolong, a beach break for beginner and intermediate surfers. Before a crater hike, Canada's advice says to take official volcano warnings seriously and to respect exclusion zones.

Nyepi closes Bali on 8 March 2027, and Galungan begins on 13 January

Mark Monday 8 March 2027 in your calendar. That is Nyepi, the Balinese Day of Silence, in the national holiday decree Indonesia signed on 15 September 2026. Balinese Hindus spend the 24 hours without work, fire or light, travel or entertainment.

Indonesia's tourism ministry asks visitors to stay indoors with lights and noise kept low, and hotels run with a minimum of staff. The evening before, villages parade ogoh-ogoh effigies and then burn them.

Flights stop as well. For Nyepi 2026, Ngurah Rai airport suspended regular commercial flights from 6 a.m. on 19 March to 6 a.m. on 20 March. Airport data reported by ANTARA put the suspended flights at 440, 209 of them international. If any leg of your trip touches Bali that day, ask your airline how the 2027 closure affects it.

Mobile data was meant to go off too. For Nyepi 2026, Indonesia's communications ministry and Bali agreed that mobile internet would be off except near vital sites such as hospitals, ANTARA reported. Reports that some people still had mobile data that day led the ministry to review the operators. Bali's communications office said calls, texts and Wi-Fi would keep working. Download maps and shows the day before.

Galungan is a festival, not a day of silence. RRI reported Galungan on 17 June 2026 and Kuningan, which follows 10 days later, on 27 June. On the 210-day Balinese calendar, the next pair falls on 13 January and 23 January 2027. Expect streets lined with penjor, tall bamboo poles hung with offerings.

At any temple, cover your shoulders and knees. Indonesia's tourism ministry says sarongs and sashes are usually provided at the entrance. It asks visitors not to step on canang sari offerings and to follow the temple officials. Uluwatu temple holds Kecak dance performances at sunset.

Bali's dengue season overlaps with Canadians' favourite months

A study of dengue cases on Bali from 2012 to 2017 found the highest rates each year from January to May, the months Canadians favour. It linked them to the rainy season. Its authors, Yudhastuti and Lusno, published it in Jurnal Kesehatan Lingkungan Indonesia in 2020.

The Government of Canada says dengue is a risk in Indonesia, and that the risk changes with the season and from year to year. It also says no vaccine or medication is available in Canada to prevent dengue. The mosquitoes that carry it bite mostly in the daytime, especially around sunrise and sunset, so protect yourself from bites.

Canada also suggests seeing a health care provider or a travel health clinic, preferably 6 weeks before your trip. The vaccine question at the end of this guide sums up what Canada's advice says about vaccines.

Entry rules and travel advice to check before you book Bali

We read the entry rules, fees and Canada's health advice in this guide on 11 November 2026, on Government of Canada and Indonesian government pages. Canada advises a high degree of caution in Indonesia due to political and social tensions and the threat of terrorism. That national level covers Bali.

Canada's one stronger warning for the country is to avoid non-essential travel to Indonesian Papua, apart from Raja Ampat Regency and the city of Sorong. Canada has no office in Bali. The Consulate General of Australia in Denpasar helps Canadians during business hours, under a consular sharing agreement. For an emergency at any time, contact Canada's Emergency Watch and Response Centre in Ottawa.

For a tourist trip, Canada lists these entry steps:

• Passport: valid for at least 6 months beyond your date of entry, with at least one blank page.
• Tourist visa: required, but you can get it in advance or on arrival at select points of entry. Indonesia's immigration directorate charges IDR 500,000 for 30 days, and you can extend once, to 60 days in total.
• All Indonesia Declaration Form: complete it before you check in for your flight, no earlier than 72 hours before you arrive, and save the QR code to show on arrival.
• Love Bali tourist levy: IDR 150,000 per person, paid once per trip through the levy website, on top of the visa fee.

Customs officials may also ask for a return or onward ticket and proof of funds. Canada reports a rise in visa scams, including in Bali, so use official government channels only.

Rules change, so read the Government of Canada's Indonesia page on travel.gc.ca again before you go. Our guide on how safe Indonesia is for Canadians covers scams, scooters and other risks in more depth.

What a week in Bali costs, and when it costs less

The Bali Provincial Tourism Office's 2025 survey put average spending by foreign visitors at US$172.40 per person per day. That is US$1,206.80 for a week, or about CA$1,690 at the Bank of Canada's rate on 26 October 2026.

Virgin Australia's guide names October, November, February and March as the cheapest months, when lower demand brings better rates on rooms and tours. The hotel figures above agree for February and March, the two least-full months of 2025.

For Canadians on a tourist trip, the visa and the levy add IDR 650,000 per person, about CA$50 at the same day's rate.

Roaming is another cost to check. In November 2026, Rogers listed its International Travel Pass at CA$75 for 7 days or CA$120 for 30 days, for 180+ destinations including Asia. Confirm that Indonesia is on its list. Our page on travel eSIMs versus carrier roaming compares the two.

Get your phone ready for Bali while you are still in Canada

Our data plans for all of Indonesia run on Telkomsel, XL and Indosat, the networks in our catalogue on 11 November 2026. The plan page shows the current list. They cover Lombok's main areas too, and the Gili Islands have basic 4G in their main beach areas.

Your phone must be carrier-unlocked and eSIM-compatible, so check that your phone supports eSIM first. Then install the eSIM on home Wi-Fi with our step-by-step install guide.

Keep your Canadian SIM for calls and texts, such as bank codes. Apple says both lines on a dual SIM iPhone can make and receive calls and texts, while the iPhone uses one cellular data network at a time. When you land, turn on the eSIM line and its Data Roaming, and choose the eSIM for cellular data. Leave Allow Cellular Data Switching off so data stays on it.

If operators switch off mobile data again on Nyepi, expect the eSIM to lose data too, since it runs on Bali's local networks. To size your plan, estimate your trip's data use. If the eSIM does not connect when you land, message HelloRoam support by email or WhatsApp.