Unfortunately for many sun-seeking vacationers, October to January in Bali is notorious for its wet weather. As the rainy season kicks in, the beaches become a little less appealing, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make the most of your time here on the island. So, what to do in Bali when it rains? You’ll find that there are plenty of indoor activities in Bali that promise great entertainment or inspiration.
You have your ‘standard’ options of going to one of Bali’s shopping malls, there are some great museums, find somewhere to eat and drink, or perhaps it’s appropriate weather for a massage?
But how about something different? We’ve compiled a collection of more specific and unique indoor activities, experiences and classes to help you make the most of rainy days in Bali.
Family Activities | Adult Activities
Family Activities
A Hands-On Pottery Class (Sanur)
There’s nothing better than making something with your bare hands, which is why pottery is so satisfying! Kevala Studio Ceramic in Sanur offers 3 different pottery techniques: whether you want to throw a pot on the potter’s wheel, take your time painting a ready-made ceramic piece or discover decorating techniques, create an organic shape using hand-building techniques or perhaps try a combination of these different experiences.
‘Kevala Studio Ceramic’ is the little sister to the island-renowned Kevala Ceramics brand; it is an intimate studio space dedicated to the art of pottery and ceramics, inviting more people to channel their inner artists. This is a creative indoor activity in Bali that anyone can enjoy.
Your experience at Kevala Studio includes your final masterpiece, which is available to take home after it has been processed (fired and glazed). There are also dedicated activities for children. Classes last between 2 and 3 hours, and prices start at IDR 300,000 per person.
Kevala Studio Ceramics
Jl. Danau Poso No. 20, Sanur Kauh
+62 877 5478 4534 (WA)
kevalaceramics.com/studio
An Escape Room with an Environmental Twist (Sanur)
Everyone loves an escape room adventure, but what makes this experience particularly unique is its marine conservation theme, infusing important lessons on how to protect our oceans into this fun and interactive activity.
Found in the Coral Triangle Center’s ‘Center for Marine Conservation’ in Sanur, visitors can join two professionally designed escape rooms: ‘SOS From the Deep’ invites problem-solvers to find clues that will help conserve coral reefs; whilst in ‘SOS Plastic Danger’, indoor activities and puzzles explore the risk of plastic pollution in the oceans.
Merging education and interactive entertainment, kids and adults will find the CTC’s Escape Rooms one of the most thrilling indoor activities as they solve puzzles against the clock. All proceeds from the room support CTC’s marine conservation efforts around the Coral Triangle.
Coral Triangle Center (CTC)
Jl. Bet Ngandang II No. 88-89
+62 811 39400400
savingoceansnow.com
Make Your Own Chocolate Bars (Ubud)
For those looking to experience enticing and unique indoor activities, head to Mason Chocolate’s show factory in Ubud, tucked amidst the rice fields, for an immersive chocolate-making workshop.
Great for kids and adults, the chocolate workshop is an opportunity to witness the full process from ‘bean to bar’, learn insights into premium Indonesian chocolate, and finally, make one’s own artisanal chocolate bars.
You’re invited to create three of your very own chocolate bars using dark, milk and white chocolate. Mix-and-match a selection of fruits and nuts, and fill up your bars with chocolate taken fresh from the tempering machine. A more premium experience includes making custom chocolate-rich truffles and pralines, once again mixing and matching fillings or chocolate of choice. Chocolate-making workshops are available daily with prior booking.
Mason Chocolate Factory – Tatag
Jalan Raya Taro, Taro
+62 811 3979 480
masonchocolates.com
An Adventure Into Outer Space (Sanur)
Set inside an expansive 3,500 square-metre space, AeroXSpace Adventure is an immersive indoor adventure park that the whole family can dive into. The fully air-conditioned is an imaginative, space-themed universe, boasting 25 exhilarating attractions set across multiple levels.
An entire galaxy of adventure invites visitors to climb, slide and soar through various rides, stimulating thrilling intergalactic experiences at AeroXSpace Adventure. Glide through the air on the 100m Space Coaster ride, like flying through space, or simulate free-fall sensations on the Launch Pad Slides, a first in Indonesia. Defy gravity at AeroXCourt and AeroXSlam, a futuristic air-cushioned sports arena which elevates your average game of basketball, dodgeball or football; or take lunar leaps with the themed trampoline arenas of Space Jumpers and AeroXJumpers.
There’s a full range of experiences for all ages, from fun slides to more thrill-seeking rides that soar through the air. This destination makes it one of the most fun, exciting, and adrenaline-fuelled indoor activities in Bali.
AeroXSpace Adventure
Jl. Bypass Ngurah Rai No. 999
+62 878 1699 1999
aeroxspace.id
Embracing Culture and Creativity (Ubud)
Why not use the rainy day as an opportunity to try your hand at Bali’s traditional arts and crafts, immersing yourself in some of the island’s cultural heritage?
At Bali Purma Art & Workshop, a whole range of craft experiences are available, founded as a cultural gateway that bridges travellers with the soul of Balinese artistry. The experiences range from batik painting to silver-making workshops and learning how to make the Balinese canang sari offering. More advanced workshops include wood and stone carving as well.
One of the indoor activities that children love is the kite-making workshop, a traditional craft that has been passed down through generations. With a Balinese kite expert, participants will learn the step-by-step process of building and decorating their very own kite. From crafting the bamboo frame, to designing the skin of the kite using kertas minyak (oil paper), to finally decorating the kite and attaching the flying string.
Bali Purma Art & Workshop
Jl. Rapuan II Jl. Banjar Juga, Mas
+62 817 970 5626
IG: @balipurmaart
Adult Activities
Wine Tasting with Bali’s Original Winery (Sanur)
Bali’s original winery, Hatten Wines, invites guests to expand their knowledge of new latitude wines at The Cellardoor, Sanur. Through curated wine tasting programs held by their resident experts, you can join an educational journey through their expansive range of locally-produced wines.
For those who don’t know the background, Hatten Wines was founded in 1994 when Balinese founder Ida Bagus Rai Budarsa used a local grape variety, Alphonse Lavallée, to make Bali’s first wine. Over three decades, the wine company has expanded to produce a range of varieties, all locally-grown and vinified in Bali. Hatten Wines have won multiple international awards, showing that ‘new latitude’ wines are a force to be reckoned with.
Hatten Wines offers daily wine tasting programmes at The Cellardoor shop and centre in Sanur. There are three distinct wine tasting experiences available: The first is the ‘Bali Wine Tasting,’ a journey through the Hatten range from red, white, rosé and fortified varieties, featuring six different varieties. Another is the ‘Sweet Lover Wine Tasting’, which focuses on the winery’s sweeter wine selection from their Moscato to Pino de Bali and Sweet Syrah. Then the ‘Comparative Wine Tasting’ experience, where you can explore the difference between a Bali wine and an Australian wine, trying them both side-by-side. Compare the tasting notes between an Aga White and a Riesling, a rosé from the Limestone Coast and Bali’s northwest region.
Hatten Wines Building
Jl. By Pass Ngurah Rai No. 393, Sanur
+62 896 8660 2323 (WA)
hattenwines.com
adventure.hattenwines.com
Crafting Your Own Batik Masterpiece (Ubud)
With so much of Bali’s cultural capital being about enjoying the outdoors and exploring, you might be confused about what to do in Ubud when it rains. Why not learn the art of Indonesia’s most treasured textile: batik!
This is a technique of wax-resist dyeing applied to a white cloth and is emblematic of Indonesian culture and tradition, with distinct and exquisite patterns originating from different regions of the archipelago. Using a spouted tool known as a ‘canting’, wax is drawn delicately onto a cloth in a chosen image or style, and then colours are painted and dyed to bring this textile to life.
You can try this very meditative, creative experience at Nirvana Batik, a batik workshop in the centre of Ubud. Discover the story, and learn the tools and techniques for making your own batik work of art. The Nirvana Batik Course takes you through the entire journey, from wax drawing, colouring, dyeing and wax removal. You’ll find your masterpiece ready after this 4-hour immersive experience.
Whether you’re an artist or not doesn’t matter; this is a guided class, and many find the process very therapeutic and relaxing, whilst learning a central part of Indonesian heritage. Regular classes take place between 10 AM and 2 PM, and prices start from IDR 485,000 per person. The batik course is a great option for indoor activities in Bali.
Nirvana Batik Course
Jalan Gautama 10, Ubud
+62 812 386 0509 (WA)
nirvanaku.com
A Jewellery Masterclass (Seminyak & Ubud)
Learn the art of luxury jewellery-making from one of Bali’s most renowned brands, John Hardy, which offers two distinct and insightful masterclasses that peel back the curtain of their artisan-inspired design and creation processes.
The first workshop is held at the fabulous John Hardy Workshop & Kapal Bamboo Boutique in Mambal, a one-of-a-kind destination nestled in the Bali countryside. This original Jewellery Masterclass involves learning from the brand’s expert artisans who share the time-honoured, eight-step process for their jewellery design. This involves learning how to sketch intricate designs and develop illustrations to visualise pieces, and creating the wax carving that serves as the important mould in jewellery creation.
A new workshop experience is available at The John Hardy Seminyak Boutique, the Icon Chain Masterclass, where participants can try their hand at Bali’s traditional artisanal technique of weaving silver. This is a real hands-on experience, including creating and soldering links, creating the delicate weave that is at the heart of the brand’s signature styles.
Both masterclasses offer insight into the thoughtful processes involved in creating the internationally-recognised jewellery collection, rooted in artisanal Balinese techniques.
John Hardy Workshop & Kapal Bamboo Boutique
Br. Baturning No. 1, Desa Mambal, Abiansemal
+62 811 3811 8003 | +62 811 385 2233 (WA)
johnhardy.com
@johnhardybali
Make Your Own Fragrance (Seminyak)
Discover the art of scent-creation with Umah, a Bali-born fragrance brand renowned for its scents inspired by different regions across the island, from Ubud to Uluwatu. Other than exploring their luxurious range of products at their flagship store in Seminyak, visitors can join an immersive workshop craft where they can create their very own bespoke fragrance products, including scented candles, room sprays, and perfumery.
The Umah artisans will introduce you to the basics of scent blending, presenting up to 80 different aromatic materials, with ingredients inspired by Bali’s rich botanicals. Then the personal creation process begins as you delicately blend and go on an introspective search for your own fragrance – the scent that tells your story. Once found, you’ll pour your very own scented candle and mix your very own room spray.
The Scent Workshop caters to individuals as well as groups, where, beyond scent creations, participants will learn to identify personal tastes and develop their senses, with the perfect memento to take home afterwards too.
Umah Living Flagship Store
Jl. Mertanadi No.72, Kerobokan
+62 811 3990 8105
@umahliving
umahliving.com
Cocktails and Clay Painting (Canggu)
Beyond your typical art studio, Klay Bar Bali is a women-owned creative bar created to spark self-expression through hand-painted ceramics while savouring a curated menu of invigorating drinks and scrumptious bites.
Whether you’re a beginner or a skilled artist, Klay Bar Bali welcomes all to unwind, paint, laugh, chat, and create something that is distinctively yours. Guests are given the choice of a variety of ceramics, from mugs and plates to bowls. Once they’ve chosen, guests can sit down with all the tools they need to paint and customise their piece.
As guests paint, they can indulge in signature spritzers or 0% alcohol options, savour small bites made with local ingredients, and revel in the upbeat, welcoming ambience. Whether you come alone, together with your friends, or join one of the networking events, the experience is all about enjoying a mindful activity over good food and drinks.
Klay Bar Bali
Jl. Tanah Barak No. 1A
+62 812 3978 9820
klaybarbali.com
