good to know before you plan
April is the month I would book if I were paying for the trip myself. You get the scenery of the wet season and the reliability of the dry one, a combination that only exists for a few weeks.
The only thing April is not is guaranteed. Showers still happen, particularly early in the month, and the highland views towards Batur can still cloud over. But an April shower passes in twenty minutes and the day carries on, which is a completely different experience from February. If you want certainty rather than probability, wait for June and pay for it.
Bali in April: A 7-Day Ubud Itinerary in the Green Shoulder Season
April is the reward for the rainy season. Three months of water have left central Bali as green as it ever gets, and now the rain steps back. Showers become brief and occasional, humidity drops, and the paths that were slick in February firm up. The valley looks like the wet season and behaves like the dry one.
This is also the last month before prices start climbing. May opens the dry season properly and June begins high season, so April sits in a narrow window where you get good weather, a full green landscape, and rates that still belong to the quiet part of the year. If someone asked me to name the single most underrated week to be in Ubud, it would be in April.
Green from the rain, dry enough to walk, and the best-kept month in Ubud
April
Week 1
day by day
One base in Ubud. April is dry enough that you can finally plan a full day out without hedging against the afternoon.
Day 1: Arrive, settle, eat somewhere good. April evenings are warm and dry.
Day 2: Temple morning. Tirta Empul early, Gunung Kawi after, back for a late lunch.
Day 3: Campuhan Ridge Walk at sunrise, then the market and the palace.
Day 4: Tegalalang rice terraces. Still green from the rains and now dry enough to walk properly.
Day 5: Waterfall day. April is the sweet spot: the rivers still run hard and the paths have dried out.
Day 6: Craft villages at Mas and Celuk, Puri Lukisan museum, then a long dinner.
Day 7: Slow morning, then the airport.
Where to Eat
Central Ubud for the broadest dining selection
Penestanan for cafés and relaxed healthy dining
Tegallalang for restaurants overlooking rice fields
Local villages for traditional Balinese warungs
Ubud markets for casual local food and snacks
Where to Stay
Central Ubud: best for walkable sights.
Monkey Forest Road: best for shops and cafés.
Penestanan: best for a quieter base.
Sayan: best for valley views.
Nyuh Kuning: best for a village setting.
Tegallalang: best for rice terrace stays.
best Things to Do
Explore Ubud’s cultural centre
Walk through rice fields and terraces
Visit Tegallalang Rice Terrace
See Tirta Empul and nearby temples
Walk the Campuhan Ridge
Attend a traditional Balinese dance performance
Join a cooking, craft or wellness class
Explore waterfalls and river valleys
Take a day trip into Bali’s central highlands.
Good weather, before the prices notice
Book the room first. April is the last month of low-season rates in Ubud, and the same hotel in June or July will cost noticeably more, so compare while the gap is in your favour. Activities are still easy to arrange a few days out this month. A car with a driver is what makes an Ubud week work: the temples, terraces and waterfalls are spread across a wide area, and one driver for a day costs less than two separate tours. Three links below.
frequently asked questions
What is the weather like in Bali in April?
April is the shoulder into the dry season. Showers become brief and occasional rather than daily, humidity drops noticeably from March, and full clear days become common. Temperatures hold around 27 to 31 degrees. The landscape is still deep green from the rains, which is what makes this month unusual.
Is April a good time to visit Bali?
It is arguably the best value month of the year. You get close to dry-season weather while the landscape is still green from the rains, and prices have not yet started the climb that begins in May. Crowds are also well below the June to August peak. The trade is that April is probable rather than guaranteed.
What is the best month to visit Ubud?
April and September, for the same reason: both sit just outside the peak, with good weather and lower prices. April has the greener landscape because it follows the rains. September has the more reliable sky. July and August are the most dependable weather but also the most expensive and the most crowded.