Yes, October is one of the best months for Bali, and 2026 looks better than usual. On the 1991-2020 normals the airport gets 64.4 mm of rain in October, against 350.7 mm in January, so it is still dry season in all but name. This year BMKG expects the rains to come late because of a very strong El Niño: in November for parts of Bali and in December for most of the island. The island is also emptier than in summer: 594,853 foreign visitors arrived in October 2025, against 697,107 at the July peak. The sea is at its calmest of the second half of the year, which makes October our honest pick for manta snorkelling and a good month for the Mount Batur sunrise. Two things to plan around are China's Golden Week, 1-7 October, and the last Australian school holidays in the first half of the month.
By Alex Moskvin, Founder of SB Excursions · Published 23 September 2026 · Updated 16 October 2026
Tour on this route: Snorkel with Manta Rays, Nusa Penida — From $29, full day.
Is October a good time to visit Bali?
Yes. In a normal year October is still dry season, with a 1991-2020 normal of 64.4 mm of rain at the airport against 350.7 mm in January, and the sea is calmer than in mid-year. In 2026 BMKG expects the rains to start late, in November in parts of Bali and December across most of it, and October 2025 had about 15% fewer foreign arrivals than July.
This guide also answers:
- Does it rain in Bali in October?
- Is October a good month to see manta rays in Bali?
- Is Bali crowded in October 2026?
Top picks from this guide
#1
Manta Point, Nusa Penida
Mantas are at Manta Point in every month; what changes is whether the boat can get there. On sea conditions alone our manta guide ranks April-May and September-October first, and October is the quiet honest answer. Snorkelling is from $29 per person with guide and gear. Nobody can promise a sighting.
#2
Mount Batur at sunrise
The dry-season pattern still holds in October, so the pre-dawn climb or the jeep to the rim is a good bet. Ubud pickups land around 02:30, the south about an hour earlier. The jeep is from $45 if you meet it in Kintamani, $60 with hotel pickup; the hike is from $35.
#3
Crystal Bay
The ocean sunfish season at Crystal Bay runs roughly July to October, and October is its tail. Upwelling can drop the water to 18-20°C on those mornings, so a thin wetsuit is worth more than it sounds. On a normal day it is the calm swim stop of the west-coast route.
#4
Uluwatu and the west-coast surf
Our surf guide picks October on the numbers: around 1.8 m at 13.8 s, the most dependable offshore wind of the year and fewer people than in July. Beginners get clean mornings on the west-coast sand. A private lesson is from $35 for 2-4 hours with board and coach.
#5
Ubud during the Writers & Readers Festival
The 2026 festival runs from the opening gala on 21 October to 25 October, with more than 100 events spread across Ubud venues, including Puri Agung Ubud. Expect fuller cafes and guesthouses in central Ubud that week, and book rooms early if you want to walk to the talks.
#6
Saraswati and Pagerwesi
Saraswati, the day of knowledge, falls on Saturday 31 October 2026, when offerings are made to books and schools hold ceremonies. Banyu Pinaruh follows on 1 November, a morning of ritual bathing at springs and on beaches, and Pagerwesi on 4 November. Traffic slows around temples; tours run as usual.
Is October a good time to visit Bali?
Yes, and for most trips it is one of the three best months of the year. In a normal year October is still dry season: the airport's 1991-2020 normal is 64.4 mm of rain for the month, barely more than June's 67.9 mm and a fifth of December's 327.4 mm. The sea is calmer than in the swell-heavy middle of the year, the crowds are thinner than in July and August, and the mornings are still clear enough for the volcano.
The 2026 twist works in your favour. On 22 September 2026 BMKG, Indonesia's meteorology agency, said a very strong El Niño is under way and that the 2026/2027 rainy season will start later than usual across most of the country. For Bali it expects the season to begin in November in parts of the island and in December across most of it. That makes October 2026 more likely than usual to behave like September, although a forecast is a probability, not a promise.
What is the weather like in Bali in October?
Warm, mostly dry, and a little stickier than in August. The mean temperature at the airport is 27.6°C, a degree above the coolest months, July and August. Showers do happen, usually as a short afternoon burst rather than a grey day. Ubud and Kintamani run several degrees cooler than the coast, which matters at 1,717 m before dawn.
When BMKG talks about the start of the rainy season it means something precise: the first ten-day period with at least 50 mm of rain that is followed by two more like it. So a wet week in late October does not mean the season has begun, and a forecast of a December start does not mean no rain in November. The table puts October next to the months either side of it.
| Month | Rain, 1991-2020 normal | Mean temperature | Sunrise in Denpasar | Foreign arrivals, last season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July (reference) | 27.6 mm | 26.5°C | about 06:34 | 697,107 (July 2025, the peak) |
| October | 64.4 mm | 27.6°C | 06:04 on the 1st, 05:51 on the 31st | 594,853 (October 2025) |
| November | 131.2 mm | 28.2°C | about 05:50 all month | 483,364 (November 2025) |
| December | 327.4 mm | 28.0°C | 05:51 early, 06:03 on the 31st | 572,668 (December 2025) |
| January | 350.7 mm | 27.9°C | 06:03 on the 1st, 06:18 on the 31st | 502,205 (January 2026) |
Rain and temperature: 1991-2020 monthly normals for Denpasar/Ngurah Rai airport, published by the Tokyo Climate Center of the Japan Meteorological Agency. Sunrise: our calculation with NOAA's solar position equations for Denpasar; the Batur summit sees it about 6-7 minutes earlier. Arrivals: foreign visitors arriving directly in Bali, BPS Bali figures as reported by ANTARA and detik.
How busy is Bali in October 2026?
Busy in the first week, easing after that. China's National Day holiday runs from 1 to 7 October 2026 under the State Council's holiday schedule, and Australia, the largest source of visitors to Bali, is still on spring school holidays at the start of the month: Victoria until 4 October, Queensland and the Northern Territory until 5 October, New South Wales until 9 October, Western Australia and South Australia until 11 October, the ACT until 12 October, and Tasmania from 3 to 18 October.
After that, October is a shoulder month. BPS counted 594,853 foreign arrivals in October 2025, about 15% below the July peak of 697,107. Indonesia has no national holidays between late August and Christmas in 2026, so there is no domestic rush either. In practice the famous viewpoints, Kelingking or Tegalalang, are busy at midday in every month; start early and October feels calm.
Which sea days work best in October?
This is the month to put the island day early and not worry about it. Our manta ray season guide ranks April-May and September-October first on sea conditions, and October is the calmer of the pair: the big mid-year swell has eased and the wet-season westerlies have not arrived. The Manta Point snorkelling trip is from $29 per person with guide and gear, $46 with the return fast boat from Sanur, and hotel pickup is $34 per car.
For the island itself, the Nusa Penida west tour is from $49 per car for up to six people with hotel pickup and an island driver, with the fast boat from $15. October is also the tail of the mola-mola season at Crystal Bay, roughly July to October, when upwelling can drop the water to 18-20°C. If the Gilis are on the list, October is one of the calmer times of year for the crossing from Padang Bai; our Gili day trip runs 7-9 hours from $115.
Surf, the volcano and the inland days
October is the best-balanced surf month on our numbers: around 1.8 m of swell at 13.8 seconds, the most dependable offshore wind of the year on the Bukit and the west coast, and water around 27°C. The trade-off against July is size, not quality: the swell runs smaller than the mid-year peak. Beginners get their second honest window of the year; the surf season guide has the month-by-month detail.
Inland, October favours the volcano over the river. Dry mornings give the Mount Batur sunrise its best odds before the wet season, and sunrise in Denpasar moves from about 06:04 on 1 October to 05:51 on the 31st. The Ayung is at the low end of its year, so rafting from $25 is a gentler ride now than in January. Waterfalls are thin until the rains arrive, which is the one real weakness of the month.
Dates in October 2026 worth knowing
- 1-7 October — China's National Day holiday: more visitors at Kuta, Uluwatu and the Penida viewpoints in the first week
- Until 4-12 October — Australian spring school holidays end, state by state; Tasmania runs 3-18 October
- 11 October — Tilem Kapat, the dark moon; temple offerings but no closures that affect tours
- 21-25 October — Ubud Writers & Readers Festival, more than 100 events across Ubud
- 25 October — Purnama Kelima, the full moon; temple ceremonies across the island, expect processions on village roads
- 31 October — Saraswati, the day of knowledge; 1 November Banyu Pinaruh, ritual bathing at dawn; 4 November Pagerwesi
- No Indonesian national holiday falls in October 2026
- Next month: Bali in November — the quietest month before the rains
Where these numbers come from
- Tokyo Climate Center, JMA: monthly normals for Denpasar/Ngurah Rai — rain and temperature, base period 1991-2020, retrieved 23 September 2026
- BMKG press release of 22 September 2026 — very strong El Niño, onset and peak of the 2026/2027 rainy season by region, retrieved 23 September 2026
- BMKG Denpasar regional office: glossary of season terms — how the start of the rainy season is defined, retrieved 23 September 2026
- Foreign arrivals from BPS Bali: October 2025 as reported by detik on 1 December 2025, July 2025 by ANTARA Bali on 1 September 2025, both retrieved 23 September 2026
- State Council holiday schedule for 2026 — National Day holiday 1-7 October 2026, retrieved 23 September 2026
- Tourism Australia: Australian school holidays — 2026 dates by state, retrieved 23 September 2026
- Ubud Writers & Readers Festival — 2026 programme dates and venues, retrieved 23 September 2026
- Kalender Bali Digital — Balinese holy days, full and dark moons for October 2026 to January 2027, retrieved 23 September 2026
- NOAA solar calculator — the equations behind our sunrise times for Denpasar, calculated 23 September 2026
- Tour prices, pickup times and sea-condition rankings: SB Excursions tour pages and our own guides, September 2026
FAQ
Is October a good time to visit Bali?
Yes. In a normal year October is still dry season, with a 1991-2020 normal of 64.4 mm of rain at the airport against 350.7 mm in January, and the sea is calmer than in mid-year. In 2026 BMKG expects the rains to start late, in November in parts of Bali and December across most of it, and October 2025 had about 15% fewer foreign arrivals than July.
Does it rain in Bali in October?
A little. The airport's 1991-2020 normal for October is 64.4 mm, against 27.6 mm in July and 131.2 mm in November, and it usually comes as a short afternoon shower. On 22 September 2026 BMKG forecast a late start to the 2026/2027 rainy season because of a very strong El Niño.
Is October a good month to see manta rays in Bali?
It is one of the best. Mantas are at Manta Point off Nusa Penida all year, and what varies is the sea. On conditions alone April-May and September-October come first. Our snorkelling trip is from $29 per person with guide and gear, $46 with the return fast boat, and nobody can guarantee a sighting.
Is Bali crowded in October 2026?
In the first week, yes: China's National Day holiday runs 1-7 October 2026 and several Australian states are on school holidays until 4-12 October. After that it is a shoulder month. BPS counted 594,853 foreign arrivals in October 2025, about 15% below the July 2025 peak of 697,107.
Is October good for surfing in Bali?
It is the best-balanced month on our numbers: around 1.8 m of swell at 13.8 seconds, the most dependable offshore wind of the year on the west coast and the Bukit, and thinner lineups than in July. The swell is smaller than at the mid-year peak, which suits most surfers and beginners.
What is on in Bali in October 2026?
The Ubud Writers & Readers Festival runs 21-25 October 2026 across Ubud. On the Balinese calendar the full moon of 25 October brings temple ceremonies, Saraswati falls on 31 October, Banyu Pinaruh on 1 November and Pagerwesi on 4 November. There is no Indonesian national holiday in October 2026.
Recommended Bali tours for this guide
Snorkel with Manta Rays, Nusa Penida
This is one of Bali's strongest sea-day products because the experience starts delivering early and stays visually powerful all day. It works for couples, small groups, and first-time snorkelers who want clear planning and strong photo value.
- Duration
- Full day
- Area
- Manta Point and Nusa Penida waters
- Format
- Snorkeling tour
- Best for
- Snorkeling lovers and sea-day travelers
From $29 No prepayment
View tour
Mount Batur Sunrise Jeep Tour
This is one of the most accessible sunrise adventures in Bali because you still get the volcano mood without committing to a full trekking route. It is ideal for couples, small groups, and guests who want a signature morning with strong visuals.
- Duration
- 6-8 hours
- Area
- Kintamani and Mount Batur
- Format
- Private or small group jeep trip
- Best for
- Adventure lovers and sunrise seekers
From $45 No prepayment
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Bali Surf Lesson for Beginners
A surf lesson is one of the best short-format Bali activities because it feels local, active, and iconic without taking over the whole day. It is ideal for couples, friends, solo travelers, and anyone curious about the island's surf culture.
- Duration
- 2-4 hours
- Area
- Beginner-friendly Bali surf beaches
- Format
- Water activity
- Best for
- Beginners and casual active travelers
From $35 No prepayment
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