Packing list for Bali and the tropics

What to bring for Bali, Lombok and the islands in the April to October dry season: a sarong for temples, reef-safe sunscreen, mosquito protection against dengue, a dry bag for the boat, and strap sandals for flooded lanes.

Open in Waystop

On a phone with Waystop installed, the button adds the list to your trip as a bag you can tick off. Otherwise copy it and paste it into Waystop’s Chat with “add this to my packing list”.

Checked October 10, 2026.

Tick things off as you go and this browser will remember. Changed your mind?

Packing

0 of 20 packed

Clothes

0/6

A sarong and a sashTemples require covered legs and a sash at the waist for everyone; most lend or rent them at the gate, your own skips the line and the fee
Light, loose, quick-dry clothesDays are 84 to 88°F (29 to 31°C) with 65 to 70 percent humidity; cotton stays damp, technical fabric dries on the balcony overnight
Sandals with a heel strap that survive a soakingAn afternoon downpour floods the lanes and rice-field paths turn to mud; flip-flops come off and float away
A thin rain shell or ponchoEven in dry season a storm rolls through some afternoons; it lasts an hour and the air stays warm
A light layer for Ubud evenings and the volcano sunriseUbud sits higher and cools noticeably at night. A Mount Batur sunrise hike leaves at 4 a.m. and the summit is cold and windy.
A rash vestSurf lessons at Kuta and Canggu are two hours face-down on a board in strong sun.

Sun, water and mosquitoes

0/5

Reef-safe sunscreen, SPF 50Equatorial UV burns in minutes; oxybenzone and octinoxate damage the reef you snorkel over at Nusa Penida and the Gilis
Mosquito repellent with DEET or picaridinDengue is present in Bali all year and the Aedes mosquito bites by day; not being bitten is the main defense, so cover ankles at dusk
A dry bagBoat crossings to Nusa Penida and the Gilis are wet, scooter rain is wetter, and a phone dropped in a rice paddy is finished
A refillable bottleTap water is not safe to drink; many cafes and villas have refill stations, and small plastic bottles pile up fast
After-bite cream and an antihistamineEven with repellent you will collect a few

Documents and money

0/5

The Bali tourist levy voucherIDR 150,000 per person, paid online at Love Bali before you land; the QR voucher arrives by email and officers can ask for it, so keep it on your phone
Cash in small notesWarungs, temple donations, parking attendants and boat touts take cash, and a 100,000 note is hard to break outside a supermarket
An International Driving Permit if you plan to ride a scooterWithout one, plus a motorcycle entitlement on your home license, you are uninsured and police stop tourists for it; wear a helmet whatever the locals do, because accidents are common and some are fatal
Travel insurance that covers scootersMost policies exclude riding without the right license. Check before you rent, because scooter crashes are the most common reason tourists end up in hospital.
Passport with six months left and the arrival paperwork doneIndonesia asks for a visa on arrival, payable online before you fly, and an electronic arrival declaration; do them on the sofa, not in the line

Health and comfort

0/4

Stomach kit: rehydration salts, loperamide and probioticsBali belly is real; ice in cafes is usually fine but street-stall salad and tap water are not
EarplugsRoosters, dogs and the gamelan for a 5 a.m. ceremony; villa walls are open to the air.
A small flashlightVillage lanes and paddy paths have no lights, and power cuts happen
A type C or F adapterIndonesia uses the two-pin European plug on 230V

What the weather is like

Dry season days run 84 to 88°F (29 to 31°C) with nights at 75 to 77°F (24 to 25°C). Humidity drops from about 72 percent in April to 50 percent in July, and monthly rain falls from 115 mm in April to under 30 mm in July and August before climbing again in October; January, for comparison, gets close to 390 mm. Ubud and the volcano slopes are cooler, and the sea stays warm enough to swim without a wetsuit all season.

Leave at home

A hair dryer and heavy toiletriesVillas supply them, and the humidity undoes any styling in ten minutes
JeansThey never dry; 86°F (30°C) and 70 percent humidity call for linen or technical fabric
Rupiah bought abroadRates abroad are poor; airport ATMs dispense it, and authorized money changers in town beat them for larger sums

Buy when you land

Mosquito coils and a plug-in repellentSupermarkets and warungs stock them, and a coil under the dinner table works
A local SIM or eSIMTelkomsel counters at the airport and in every town; Grab and Gojek need data, and so does the levy voucher

Worth knowing

Methanol in counterfeit spirits kills tourists in Indonesia every year and you cannot taste it. Drink beer, wine or spirits poured from a sealed branded bottle at a proper bar, and skip cheap arak cocktails.
Monkeys at Uluwatu and the Ubud forest snatch sunglasses, phones and water bottles. Zip everything away before you walk in and treat any scratch or bite as a rabies risk: wash it and get to a clinic the same day.
Nyepi, the Balinese day of silence, closes the airport, the roads and every shop for 24 hours; in 2027 it falls in March. Check the date before you book a short trip, and ask Waystop's Chat to build that day as a second version of the plan, with indoor stops.

Packing list for Bali and the tropics

Clothes

Sun, water and mosquitoes

Documents and money

Health and comfort

What the weather is like

Worth knowing

Trips to pack this for

Never leave the charger in the hotel again.

Packing list for Bali and the tropics

What the weather is like

Worth knowing

Trips to pack this for

4 days in Bali

Never leave the charger in the hotel again.