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A temple standing on water in Bali

Planning from · Asia-Pacific

Wellness retreats from Australia

Australia sends more visitors to Bali than any other country — almost a quarter of all foreign arrivals in 2025 — and the direct flights make Ubud the easiest retreat on this map to reach from home. Sri Lanka and Kerala are a single connection further.

Plan from Australia Where to go
5
Destinations that work from here
US$1,200
Programmes from, per person
Sydney · Melbourne
Departing from

Why travellers from here go

The numbers behind the shortlist

Published figures from tourism boards and statistics offices — not our own bookings, which we do not publish.

The bit that decides it

When you can travel, and whether that is the right season

Australia’s two long school breaks pull in opposite directions. The mid-year holidays, late June into July, fall in Bali’s dry season and in Koh Samui’s June-to-August window — the easiest match on this map. The summer holidays, from mid-December to late January, are Bali’s wettest weeks; that is the time for Sri Lanka’s Ayurveda coast, dry from December to April, or for Beppu’s onsen in the cold. The April school holidays — dates vary by state — are the best all-round fit: Bali, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Rishikesh and Japan are all in season.

Departing from

  • Sydney
  • Melbourne
  • Brisbane
  • Perth
  • Adelaide
Worth knowing. Land in Bali in the morning if you can. The drive up to Ubud is ninety minutes to two hours, but in the afternoon traffic through Denpasar it can take three — a poor first day of a retreat.
When to travel to each destination, by month
DestinationJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
UbudIndonesiaJan: less suitableFeb: less suitableMar: good alternativeApr: preferred seasonMay: preferred seasonJun: preferred seasonJul: preferred seasonAug: preferred seasonSep: preferred seasonOct: good alternativeNov: good alternativeDec: less suitable
The Ayurveda coastSri LankaJan: preferred seasonFeb: preferred seasonMar: preferred seasonApr: preferred seasonMay: less suitableJun: less suitableJul: less suitableAug: less suitableSep: less suitableOct: less suitableNov: good alternativeDec: preferred season
KeralaIndiaJan: good alternativeFeb: good alternativeMar: less suitableApr: less suitableMay: less suitableJun: preferred seasonJul: preferred seasonAug: preferred seasonSep: preferred seasonOct: good alternativeNov: good alternativeDec: good alternative
Koh SamuiThailandJan: good alternativeFeb: preferred seasonMar: preferred seasonApr: preferred seasonMay: good alternativeJun: preferred seasonJul: preferred seasonAug: preferred seasonSep: good alternativeOct: less suitableNov: less suitableDec: less suitable
BeppuJapanJan: good alternativeFeb: good alternativeMar: preferred seasonApr: preferred seasonMay: good alternativeJun: less suitableJul: less suitableAug: less suitableSep: good alternativeOct: preferred seasonNov: preferred seasonDec: preferred season
Preferred season
Good alternative
Less suitable

Getting there

The shape of the journey from Australia

  • Bali

    Direct from every east-coast city and from Perth — about six hours from Sydney. The road from the airport up to Ubud is the slow part.

  • Koh Samui and Japan

    Koh Samui is one connection, through Bangkok or Singapore, then the short flight to the island. Tokyo is direct from the larger east-coast cities, with a domestic flight on to Oita or Okinawa.

  • Sri Lanka and Kerala

    One stop — through Singapore for either, or Kuala Lumpur for Kerala. Both connect directly on to Colombo and Kochi.

  • Rishikesh and Bhutan

    Rishikesh goes through Delhi and onto the short domestic hop to Dehradun. Bhutan connects directly from Bangkok to Paro, or through Delhi.

  • The European cure towns

    The long way round: one stop through a Gulf or Asian hub to a European gateway, then a train. Worth it for a fortnight or more, not for a week.

Routes describe the shape of the journey, not a timetable. Carriers and connections change every season, so we confirm the actual routing in writing with your quote.

Worth the journey from Australia

5 destinations, best first

Month-by-month guide

What it costs

Programmes worth the trip

Compare every programme

Starting prices per person, in US dollars. Your written quote confirms the figure before you commit to anything.

Is Bali or Koh Samui better for a wellness retreat from Australia?
Bali is easier — direct from every east-coast city and Perth — and its dry season, April to September, covers the mid-year school holidays. Koh Samui needs a connection but runs to a different calendar: good from February to April and June to August, and wet from October to December. In January, Samui is the better of the two, because Bali is in its wettest stretch.
Where can I go for a wellness retreat in the Australian summer holidays?
Sri Lanka’s south-west coast, which is dry from December to April and when its Ayurveda houses are busiest, so book ahead. Kerala is also dry and warm then, and Beppu in Japan is at its best for bathing in the cold of December. Bali is in its wet season.
When is the best time for a Bali retreat from Australia?
April to September, the dry season. The mid-year school holidays fall inside it, and so do May and September if you can travel outside school weeks. December to February is the wettest part of the year, especially inland at Ubud.
Is it worth flying to Europe for a spa cure from Australia?
For a fortnight or more, yes; for a week, rarely. The Tyrol clinics are at their best from May to September, which is the Australian winter, and Baden-Baden is good through the same months.