At a Glance
Compared to this destination's peak season A shoulder month and one of the best-value windows: crowds and prices fall from the July and August peak while the weather mostly holds, especially early on. The Ubud Writers & Readers Festival fills central Ubud for a week in the second half of the month; late October is priced close to the wet season.
Bali in October — Travel Guide
By Harry Nara · Last updated
Bali in October offers some of the best conditions of the year, ideal for writers festival, diving & shoulder value. Expect temperatures of 24–31°C, around 9 days of rain, and medium crowds across the city. Daily budgets typically land around $30–230+ for mid-range travellers. Book three to four weeks ahead for the best mid-range rates and the widest hotel choice.
Contents16 sections
#Weather in Bali in October
Bali in October averages 24–31°C (75–88°F) with around 9 days of rain, and crowds are medium.
| Measure | October in Bali |
|---|---|
| Daytime high | About 31°C / 88°F on the coast, cooler in Ubud and the hills |
| Overnight low | About 24°C / 75°F |
| Rain | About 9 rainy days, mostly short afternoon showers, increasing through the month |
| Humidity | Rising as the wet season approaches |
| Sunset | About 6:15pm all month |
| Sea | Warm on the coast; still cold at depth around Nusa Penida |
Figures are 1991–2020 normals for Denpasar; sunset times are calculated for Ubud.
What that actually means for your trip:
- The first fortnight is still dry season. Clear mornings, dry afternoons and the last of the south-east trade winds.
- The second half is the turn. Short, heavy afternoon showers begin, usually in the hills first, and the air gets stickier.
- You rarely lose a day. A shower lasts half an hour or an hour; plan sightseeing for the mornings and keep the late afternoons loose.
- The island turns green again. The first rains wake the rice fields, and the farmers flood the terraces for the next planting.
Should you come in October? It is the closing shoulder of the dry season and one of Bali's best-value months: crowds and room rates fall from the July and August peak while the weather mostly holds. If dry weather is the priority, come early in the month; if price is, come late. October 2027 has no Galungan or Saraswati, so the month is quieter in the temples than some years.
#The Bali tourist levy
Every foreign visitor pays a one-off IDR 150,000 levy, about US$10, on arrival.
Pay it before you fly on the official Love Bali portal, lovebali.baliprov.go.id, which emails a QR voucher, or at the airport. Keep the voucher on your phone; it can be checked at the airport and at major sights.
#What to Do in Bali in October
The Ubud Writers & Readers Festival
Southeast Asia's best-known literary festival fills Ubud for five days in the second half of October; in 2026 it ran from 21 to 25 October. Indonesian and international writers, journalists and thinkers speak at venues around the town, and alongside the ticketed main programme there are free events, book launches and readings. The 2027 dates and programme appear on the festival's site. It is the one event that fills Ubud's hotels in October.
The last of the mola mola season
From about July to October, the cold upwellings around Nusa Penida bring the mola mola, the oceanic sunfish, up to the cleaning stations at Crystal Bay and Manta Point. October is the last month of the season. They are never guaranteed, the water is cold and the currents strong, and the sightings are usually deep, so an advanced certification and an experienced local operator are the right way to go.
The surf changes coast
In the water October is a handover: the south-west swells that power the Bukit reefs, Uluwatu and Padang Padang, are fading, while the east-coast breaks, Keramas and Sanur, start to wake up as the winds turn.
Nusa Dua's sheltered beach is the place to learn.
Rice terraces and the east
As the first rains come, the subak, the village irrigation cooperatives recognised by UNESCO, flood the paddies for the next planting, and the terraces turn into mirrors.
Jatiluwih, in the UNESCO landscape in the west, and the Sidemen valley in the east are quieter than Tegalalang.
In the east, the split gate of Pura Lempuyang frames Mount Agung; in October the long queue for the photograph is at its shortest.
The Nusa Dua Festival
ITDC, which runs the Nusa Dua resort area, has staged the Nusa Dua Festival on the peninsula in late October, most recently on 25 and 26 October 2025, with music, dance, food and crafts. Check ITDC's events page for whether, and when, it returns in 2027.
#Getting Around
Everything starts at Ngurah Rai International Airport near Denpasar. Use the official taxi counter or open Grab or Gojek from outside the terminal. There are no trains; for sightseeing, hire a driver for the day, about IDR 400,000–600,000, who will wait while you explore. October's traffic is lighter than the summer's, though the roads to Ubud and Canggu still crawl at peak hours.
#Budget & Costs
| Travel style | Per day | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Budget | IDR 450,000–700,000 | Guesthouse, warung meals, Grab and Gojek |
| Mid-range | IDR 1,200,000–2,000,000 | Boutique hotel or villa, restaurants, a driver |
| Luxury | IDR 4,000,000+ | Resorts and fine dining |
What things cost:
| What | Price |
|---|---|
| Bali tourist levy, one-off | IDR 150,000 |
| Driver for the day | IDR 400,000–600,000 |
| Warung meal | IDR 25,000–50,000 |
Where the money actually goes:
- Prices fall through the month. Late October is priced closer to the wet season than the dry.
- The writers' festival is the exception in Ubud, where central rooms fill and rates firm up for its week.
- A driver beats a scooter for most visitors: safer, insured, and not much dearer split between two or three people.
- Diving is the big extra. A mola mola trip from Nusa Penida costs more than a day on land, and the cheapest operator is not the one to choose.
October rewards the flexible traveller. The weather declines slowly and the prices fall faster, so late bookings are often rewarded with a discount or an upgrade; the one week to book early is the writers' festival in Ubud.
#Where to Stay in Bali in October
October is a pivot, and your dates within it matter more than usual. The first fortnight still behaves like September, dry and clear; by the third week isolated afternoon showers appear in the highlands around Ubud and Kintamani before reaching the coast. That gives the month two different answers. If you are here for the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival, usually in the second half of the month, you want to be walking distance from central Ubud, and if you are here for the last of the dry weather you want to be on the coast while it holds.
- Splurge: The Westin Resort Nusa Dua, Bali (Nusa Dua). Directly on the Nusa Dua sand with a spa, tennis courts and Bali Collection five minutes away, on the calmest stretch of water on the island. The sheltered bay here also handles October's first showers better than the open west coast.
- Sweet spot: Bisma Eight Ubud (Ubud). A few minutes from central Ubud, so festival venues are a walk rather than a taxi in a week when Ubud's lanes are at their most clogged. Rooms have Japanese soaking tubs and the pool is temperature-controlled, both of which suit a month that can turn cool and wet after dark.
- Budget: Sawah Indah Villa (Sidemen). Rice-field valley with mountain views and an outdoor pool, fan-cooled rather than air-conditioned. October is when Sidemen's terraces flood and turn their most vivid green, which is the single best reason to be out here rather than on the coast. Two hours from the airport is the price of that.
October rates keep falling from the July and August peak, with the clear exception of festival week in Ubud, when the town books out and prices firm up. Book that week early and treat the rest of the month as available. Each link opens Booking.com with October dates already filled in and that property at the top of the results. Nothing is locked in from there: change the dates, switch neighbourhood, or search an entirely different destination in the same visit.
For the other neighbourhoods, and every hotel we have verified across Bali, see our full guide to where to stay in Bali.
Hotel links are affiliate links. We may earn a small commission if you book, at no extra cost to you.
#Food & Dining
The last harvests of the dry season come in, and the warungs cook with rice that is newly milled.
In Ubud, eat babi guling, spit-roast suckling pig, at lunchtime, and bebek betutu, slow-cooked spiced duck, which is often ordered a day ahead.
Along the coast, the fish grills of Jimbaran Bay at sunset are worth the touristic setting.
For a special dinner, Locavore NXT, outside Ubud, builds its tasting menu around Indonesian ingredients and is easier to book in October than in the summer, while a warung meal costs IDR 25,000–50,000.
#Nightlife
The beach clubs of Canggu and Seminyak are quieter in October, and the long-stay crowd outnumbers the holidaymakers.
Potato Head in Seminyak and the clubs of Uluwatu keep their sunset sessions running; in Ubud the evenings end early, with a dance performance at one of the palaces and dinner. Drugs carry severe penalties in Indonesia, and plain-clothes police work the club areas.
#Shopping
The end-of-season sales start in the surf shops of Kuta and Seminyak. For something better, the weaving workshops of Sidemen sell handwoven endek cloth, and the Bali Aga village of Tenganan is known for gringsing double-ikat, among the rarest textiles in the world. In Ubud, the market sells crafts in the morning; for silver, Celuk has the workshops.
#Culture & Etiquette
- Wear a sarong and sash to enter a temple; most temples lend or rent them at the gate.
- Never step on the offerings, the small palm-leaf baskets of flowers on pavements and doorsteps.
- Don't climb on shrines or sacred trees for photographs; there are fines for disrespectful behaviour at sacred sites.
- Use your right hand to give and receive.
- Ask before photographing a ceremony or a person.
#Essential Local Phrases
| English | Indonesian | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Good morning | Selamat pagi | Seh-LAH-mat PAH-gee |
| Thank you | Terima kasih | Teh-REE-mah KAH-see |
| Thank you (Balinese) | Suksma | SOOK-smah |
| How much? | Berapa? | Beh-RAH-pah |
| Too expensive | Terlalu mahal | Ter-LAH-loo MAH-hal |
| Delicious | Enak | EH-nak |
| Is it going to rain? | Apakah akan hujan? | Ah-PAH-kah AH-kan HOO-jan |
| No, thank you | Tidak, terima kasih | TEE-dak, teh-REE-mah KAH-see |
#Packing List
- Light, breathable clothes
- A light rain jacket or a compact umbrella for the second half of the month
- Sandals with grip for wet paths and temple steps
- A sarong for temples
- Reef-safe, high-factor sunscreen
- Insect repellent; mosquitoes return with the rain
- A refillable water bottle: small single-use plastic bottles are banned in shops and hotels
- A wetsuit or long-sleeved rash vest if you are diving for mola mola
#Backup Plans
If the afternoon rain sets in: Ubud's museums are the answer, the ARMA and Puri Lukisan for Balinese painting, or a cooking class under a roof.
If the west-coast surf goes flat: head to Keramas or Sanur on the east coast.
If the mola mola don't show: manta rays are seen around Nusa Penida all year, a reliable consolation.
If you want more dry season: take the boat to Lombok or the Gili Islands, which often stay drier for a little longer than Bali.
#Safety & Health
The roads are the main risk: scooter accidents are the most common serious injury among visitors, and the first rains of the season make the roads treacherous. Drink bottled or filtered water, never the tap.
Dengue rises as the rains return, so use repellent at dusk. At sea, read the flags and swim between them; the currents off the west coast and Nusa Penida are strong.
At the Ubud Monkey Forest, keep glasses, phones and loose bags secure. Comprehensive travel insurance that covers medical evacuation is essential. In an emergency, call 112.
#What's New for October 2027
- No Galungan or Saraswati falls in October 2027; Galungan is on 13 January and 11 August 2027
- The Ubud Writers & Readers Festival returns in the second half of the month; its dates appear on the festival's site
- The Bali tourist levy is IDR 150,000, paid only on the official Love Bali portal
- Small single-use plastic bottles are banned in shops and hotels, so bring a refillable one
- Scooter riders need an International Driving Permit and a helmet
#About This Guide
By Harry Nara (founder of WhenToWander), first written in July 2026 and rewritten in October 2026 for October 2027. Climate figures are 1991–2020 normals for Denpasar. Facts verified against:
- Ubud Writers & Readers Festival for the festival
- Love Bali for the tourist levy
- ITDC for events in Nusa Dua
- BMKG for weather and the change of season
- Locavore NXT for the restaurant
For the season as a whole, see Bali's dry season, and for the month that follows, Bali in November.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is October still the dry season in Bali?
It is the end of it. The first half is usually dry and clear; from mid-month short afternoon showers begin, first in the hills, and the air grows more humid. Expect about nine rainy days, mostly brief.
Is October a good time to visit Bali?
Yes, especially for value. Crowds and room rates fall from the July and August peak while the weather mostly holds, the rice terraces are flooded for the new planting, and October is the last month of the mola mola diving season. Come early for the driest weather, late for the lowest prices.
What festivals are on in Bali in October?
The Ubud Writers & Readers Festival, usually in the second half of the month, is the big one; in 2026 it ran from 21 to 25 October. No Galungan or Saraswati falls in October 2027. ITDC has held the Nusa Dua Festival in late October; check its events page for whether it returns.
Is the surf still good in Bali in October?
Yes, and it changes coast. The west-coast reefs around Uluwatu and Padang Padang have their last good weeks as the dry-season swell fades, while Keramas and Sanur on the east coast start to work as the winds turn.
What’s the weather like in Bali in October?
Bali in October typically sees temperatures of 24–31°C with around 9 days of rain across the period. Pack light, breathable layers and strong sun protection — days get genuinely hot.
How much does it cost to visit Bali in October?
Budget-conscious travellers can expect daily costs of $30–230+, covering accommodation, food, and local transport. Flexible dates can save up to 20% compared with peak-week rates.