Ubud is inside the CDC's Bali Zika notice. A rice-field villa adds a second question.

Yes. Ubud has the day-biting Aedes mosquito that spreads dengue, Zika and chikungunya, plus evening mosquitoes around the rice paddies. Since August 2026 it has also been inside the CDC's Level 2 Zika notice for Bali, which tells pregnant travelers to avoid the island. The CDC reports no malaria in Ubud.

The Zika notice covers Ubud

The CDC posted the notice on August 7, 2026, because "Cases of Zika are being reported in returning travelers from Bali, Indonesia." Its advice for everyone is to "take steps to prevent mosquito bites and sexual transmission of Zika virus during and after travel." The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control counted 11 laboratory-confirmed Zika cases in France linked to travel to Indonesia between July 2025 and March 2026, most tied to Bali and neighboring islands, while rating the likelihood of infection for travelers as low.

Dengue by day, rice-field mosquitoes at night

Zika, dengue and chikungunya share the Aedes mosquito, which bites in daylight in gardens, cafes and temple courtyards. The Bali Health Office counted 1,588 confirmed dengue cases and two deaths from January to July 2026 and described a downward trend, and the CDC says "There is elevated chikungunya risk in Indonesia." Put repellent on over sunscreen before a terrace walk or the Monkey Forest, top it up in the late afternoon, and add long sleeves on the villa terrace at dusk. Our dengue & Zika routine has the full schedule.

After dark the paddies belong to Culex mosquitoes, which carry Japanese encephalitis. Bali is a recognized focus for the virus, and Indonesia's Ministry of Health says it spreads through mosquitoes around rice fields, ponds and ditches. The CDC suggests considering the vaccine for shorter trips with rural stays or nights without air-conditioning, screens or bed nets, and recommends it for a month or more. A villa among Ubud's paddies is that kind of rural stay, so raise it at a travel clinic 4–6 weeks before departure.

Mosquito numbers around the paddies rise and fall with the rice crop and standing water. In the open-sided villas on the Sayan ridge and in the Ayung valley, ask for a bed net or a sealed, air-conditioned room.

When to go

Bali's dry season, roughly May to October, is the easier stretch, and the rainy season, roughly November to March or April, brings more mosquitoes. The Zika notice applies in every month until the CDC removes it.

Where you're going

At the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary, the bites to watch for come from macaques. Rabies isn't spread by insects, but the CDC says "Dogs infected with rabies are commonly found in Indonesia," so if a monkey or dog bites or scratches you, wash the wound with soap and clean water and see a doctor right away.

Heading on to the beaches or the Gilis? The Bali & Indonesia briefing covers them, and our Komodo briefing covers the malaria question farther east.

What travelers report

Paraphrased from TripAdvisor forum threads and linked so you can read them in full. None is dated, and mosquito numbers around Ubud change with the rain and the rice crop.

• Ubud (rice-field accommodation) · April (trip being planned)

  Asked whether rice-field lodging means too many mosquitoes, posters said it depends on the crop stage, since a nearly ripe crop leaves little standing water. A resident living among the paddies said they see few mosquitoes because fish and eels eat the larvae; others advised mosquito coils on the balcony and a DEET or picaridin repellent, and warned that small containers of water also breed mosquitoes. TripAdvisor ↗

• Ubud

  A poster said you will not avoid mosquitoes entirely however much you pay for a room, and that inland Ubud tends to have more of them than the coast. TripAdvisor ↗

• Sacred Monkey Forest, Ubud

  Posters described monkey bites and scratches in the Monkey Forest; one said staff told them theirs was the fifth bite that day. Replies debated the rabies and herpes B risk and advised against carrying food or shiny items. TripAdvisor ↗

One more rule outlasts the trip. Any fever during or after your trip means a doctor visit, and you tell them you were in Bali. The same goes for a rash, joint pain or red eyes.

Traveler questions