The Best Time of Year for a Retreat in Bali (An Honest Month-by-Month Guide)

Search for the perfect timing for visiting Bali, and you will receive one unanimous piece of advice wherever you look for it. Visit Bali during its dry season; do not get caught up in the rain, and your date for your visit should be July. This information applies to the beach vacation, and it is partially valid for the retreat. With the yoga program, tasty food, cultural programs, and relaxation as the essence of the retreat week, your schedule of visits will look totally different.

We are Ubud locals and conduct our retreats all year long in every month, and this is the real picture of what each season offers and what can be exaggerated in guidebooks.

The Best Time of Year for a Retreat in Bali (An Honest Month-by-Month Guide)

First, the basics: Bali has two seasons, not four

Since Bali lies just near the equator, it means that there are no seasons of summer and winter. Instead, temperatures remain between 26 degrees and 30 degrees Centigrade throughout the year. But what does vary is the amount of rainfall.

April through October marks the dry season in Bali while November through March marks the wet season in Bali. This is the only climatic difference you should know about Bali. There is no cold season, no hurricane season or no period when this small country closes down due to some weather problems.

There is one more fact that you should know about Ubud. It lies higher up in the hills and surrounded by rice fields and jungles, hence cooler than the coastal cities.

Dry season (April to October): easy and reliable

This is the time when everyone suggests going, and there are valid reasons behind that suggestion. It never rains here, there is no humidity, mornings are cool, and the sky is clear for days on end. This is your chance to make sure that all your free time, walks, and trips take place in the sun.

The only downside of this is the fact that everybody knows about it. July and August are high season months. The prices are higher, Ubud is busy, and popular tourist sites such as waterfalls or temples are crowded even by 10 AM. None of that has any impact on your retreat schedule as everything happens during the retreat anyway, yet if you have hopes to see Bali off-season, it is definitely not this time.

May, June, and September are the months to go inside the dry season. The same weather as in July but without crowds and cheaper tickets. These three months can be considered the easiest for coming here.

Wet season (November to March): greener, quieter, and misunderstood for retreat in Bali

This is how the wet season really is, because the name fools us. It’s not raining throughout the day. This is how a normal wet season day goes in Ubud. It begins either clear or partly cloudy, continues fine all morning until early afternoon, and ends up giving you a thunderous storm at the end of the day. The rainfall is intense, warm, and ends in one to two hours. Everything smells amazing after that.

The rhythm of a retreat seems to work very well indeed. The morning yoga session takes place prior to any thought of the rain coming. Most of the activities take place indoors, but it is quite amazing to attend a cooking class or make chocolate while a tropical storm is raging on the roof of the retreat center. The island is at its most spectacular at this time. The rice fields surrounding the retreat become an unreal shade of green, and the waterfalls are in full force.

Negative aspects but still truth: it is more humid, mosquitoes are more active, and if you arranged your day off for sightseeing, you may end up getting wet because of rain. December and January are additionally crowded months, as everyone is celebrating Christmas and New Year on the entire island.

The best parts of wet season are definitely February and early March. It is one of the least crowded seasons of the year.

One date to know about: Nyepi

Should you be visiting in March, find out the date of Nyepi, which varies from year to year due to the movement of the Balinese calendar. Nyepi is the Day of Silence for Balinese Hindus, and for 24 hours the whole island is closed down, with no vehicles on the roads, no flights arriving or departing, no lights after sunset, and everyone staying at home, including tourists.

Nyepi is not a reason to cancel your plans for March. It is an experience that is unique to Bali and one that visitors should definitely see, especially since the day before there is the ogoh-ogoh parade, when village processions of demonic effigies are carried through the streets. You just have to avoid flying in on the actual day, as the airport will be closed.

So when should you book?

Depending on what matters to you, here’s your answer ranked by importance.

If you’re after guaranteed sunshine for every available afternoon, come anytime from April to October, and choose May, June, or September to avoid the masses.

If you like your Bali green, quiet and don’t mind a midday rain shower, come in February or early March.

For the cheapest flights, stay away from July, August and the Christmas season.

If you just can’t change your date no matter what, book it and move on. That's the secret that “best time to visit” articles don’t tell you. There is definitely a difference in Bali’s seasons, but it's relatively minor. Retreat is one of the formats where that difference affects you the least, as you have an agenda, your activities are planned regardless of the weather, and the key moments of your trip take place rain or shine.

The honest conclusion

We have hosted guests all throughout the year and no one has yet left wishing that they had chosen a different season. The dry season offers you clear skies. The wet season offers the greenest version of the island and raindrops beating down on the roof as part of the experience. Whatever season you choose, it will be the right season for your retreat. The only season that will truly spoil your experience is when you wait too long to come.

The duration of our retreat program goes from Sunday to Saturday, all year round with a maximum number of 15 people each week.