What's on in Uluwatu, Indonesia through the year

Peak crowds — Christmas and New Year peak, Year-end break in Indonesia

Nothing new starts in January.

Still on: Wet season (1 Nov – 31 Mar (usually)), Christmas and New Year peak (18 Dec – 5 Jan)

Quiet — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: Wet season (1 Nov – 31 Mar (usually))

Peak crowds — Lebaran holiday peak, Lebaran (Idul Fitri) break in Indonesia

• Holiday

  Lebaran holiday peak

  20–24 MarRamadan & EidCrowdedBook early

  Idul Fitri and the cuti bersama days around it make Indonesia's biggest travel week. Domestic flights, ferries and hotels sell out and rise in price as families travel home or on holiday, so book well ahead. Source ↗

• Closure

  Nyepi

  5 Mar – 5 Apr · usually

  Bali's day of silence shuts everything for 24 hours from dawn: the airport, roads and beaches, with guests asked to stay inside their hotels. The night before, ogoh-ogoh effigies are paraded through the villages. Source ↗

Still on: Wet season (1 Nov – 31 Mar (usually))

Busy — Dry-season surf, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

• Season

  Dry-season surf

  1 Apr – 31 Oct · usuallySurf seasonCrowded

  The trade wind blows offshore on the Bukit's west-facing reefs, and Uluwatu, Padang Padang and Bingin get the Indian Ocean swell at its most consistent. Line-ups are at their most crowded in July and August.

Still on: Lebaran holiday peak (20–24 Mar), Nyepi (5 Mar – 5 Apr (usually))

Busy — Dry-season surf, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in May.

Still on: Dry-season surf (1 Apr – 31 Oct (usually))

Peak crowds — Dry-season surf, Australian winter school holidays

• Holiday

  Australian winter school holidays

  25 Jun – 20 Jul · usuallyCrowded

  Australia's midyear break lands on the best surf of the year, and the Bukit's cliff-top villas and warungs fill with families and surf trips. Book the popular breaks' nearby stays early. Source ↗

Still on: Dry-season surf (1 Apr – 31 Oct (usually))

Peak crowds — Dry-season surf, Australian winter school holidays

Nothing new starts in July.

Still on: Dry-season surf (1 Apr – 31 Oct (usually)), Australian winter school holidays (25 Jun – 20 Jul (usually))

Peak crowds — Dry-season surf, Rip Curl Cup Padang Padang

• Festival

  Rip Curl Cup Padang Padang

  1–31 Aug · usuallySporting eventCrowded

  Indonesia's longest-running surf contest runs on a one-day call inside an August waiting period, when a big swell turns Padang Padang into a barrel. Spectators pack the cliff above the reef at short notice. Source ↗

Still on: Dry-season surf (1 Apr – 31 Oct (usually))

Busy — Dry-season surf, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: Dry-season surf (1 Apr – 31 Oct (usually))

Busy — Dry-season surf, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in October.

Still on: Dry-season surf (1 Apr – 31 Oct (usually))

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

• Season

  Wet season

  1 Nov – 31 Mar · usuallyMonsoon

  The wind swings round and the west-side reefs go onshore, so the surfers who stay drive to the east coast instead. Showers are heavy but short, and villa rates drop outside the holidays.

Peak crowds — Christmas and New Year peak, Year-end break in Indonesia

• Holiday

  Christmas and New Year peak

  18 Dec – 5 JanChristmas & New YearCrowdedBook early

  The most expensive fortnight on the island despite the wet season. The clifftop beach clubs sell out their New Year parties and the single road down the peninsula jams every evening. Source ↗

Still on: Wet season (1 Nov – 31 Mar (usually))