January – March
The green months
The terraces run their most electric green, the afternoon rain is warm and brief, and the whole island slows to a walk.
Villa Samaddhi · Peliatan, Ubud
Bali, from the terraces
Where we write from
Villa Samaddhi
A three-bedroom villa built into protected rice terraces in Peliatan, six minutes from central Ubud. Private L-shaped infinity pool, open-air living pavilion, sleeps six.
Sleeps 6 Rice terraces on three sides 6 min to Ubud
Come any time of year
There is no wrong month for Ubud
Every season here has its own colour and its own reason. Here is what each part of the year quietly does best.
April – June
The golden shoulder
Long, clear mornings and warm afternoons. Soft crowds, and festival season quietly building.
July – August
The bright peak
Luminous dry days and the island at its most sociable, the paddies lit from a low morning sun.
September – December
The quiet turn
Dramatic skies, gentler crowds, and Galungan and Kuningan colouring every village with penjor and offerings.
Field notes
From the journal
7 min read
Renting a scooter in Ubud: the fifteen minutes before you ride away
Not a nudge to rent one. If you have already decided, this is the part nobody writes about: inspecting the bike, filming it, deposits and the passport question, what the paperwork does not cover, fuel, and what to do when something goes wrong.
8 min read
Bali, month by month: why every season is worth the flight
There is no wrong month for Ubud. A honest walk through the Bali year, what the weather, the rice cycle and the light do in each season, and why every one of them has its own reason to come.
7 min read
The Balinese ceremonies calendar
Galungan, Kuningan, Nyepi and the daily offerings you will see on every doorstep. A gentle guide to the rhythm of Balinese Hindu life, and how to be here for it respectfully.
Understand Bali
Read into the island before you come
The stories, beliefs and words that make a Bali trip land differently. This is what the island rewards you for knowing.
Belief
How Balinese Hinduism works
The gods, the offerings, the temple calendar. The quiet logic behind almost everything you will see on the island.
Language
50 Indonesian words for Bali
The small handful of phrases that change how every day of a trip goes, and earn a warmer welcome everywhere.
Culture
Where Western travellers meet Bali
The cultural differences worth knowing before you arrive, for American and European visitors alike.
History
A short history of Bali
How the island became what it is today, from old kingdoms to the Ubud of now, in about an hour of reading.
Plan the trip
Turn the wheel, pick a month
Bali in
Pick a month
Spin the ring, or tap a month
Choose any month
There is no wrong month for Ubud. Turn the wheel, or tap a month, to see what it does best.
See what is free in this month →Two more to plan with: the trip cost estimator and the ceremonies countdown.