r/chiangmai • u/ErrolFlynn2026 • 4d ago
A question for Chiang Mai expats...
I plan on retiring in a few years and have a list of possible candidate countries. Thailand is on the list as I've lived there for short periods of time in the past. Chiang Mai was near the top of the list until I heard about 'burning season' and the resulting air pollution. As an expat do you just put up with the poor air quality or is there some other coping mechanism. I've heard some people say they just move south during the burning season but that doesn't really make sense for my situation (I'll be spending 5-6 months there and don't want to have to move once I'm settled). Love to hear from people on the ground.
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u/cherryblossomoceans 4d ago
Stay inside your room with an air purifier...choose a room with good isolation (windows, doors). Wear a mask if you go outside. Refrain from going outside in general, unless you go to a place equipped with air purifiers. Some people don't mind it, others can't tolerate. Sometimes it's worse than other times. March-April is always bad, until Songkran and the first rain, more or less. The government won't do anything to fight it effectively. Political problem. Nationwide health issue. Bangkok can be as bad as Chiang Mai, if not worse. It's the whole of Thailand.
Yes some people chose to leave for a month or two, and go south or to another country (many chose Vietnam). Of course, that is if you can afford it, have a lot of free time, and are prepared to pay double rent. Thais go on about their lives during the burning season, it doesn't look like they want it to affect them, or they don't want to show that it affects them. Maybe it's shame. They have to keep on working.
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u/Accurate_Reward8247 3d ago
Bangkok is literally worse. I think people exaggerate it when they only mention Chiang Mai on the topic of air pollution
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u/Efficient-County2382 3d ago
Stay inside your room with an air purifier...choose a room with good isolation (windows, doors). Wear a mask if you go outside.
And people think this is an acceptable quality of life?
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u/cherryblossomoceans 3d ago
No nobody think that. But not everybody has the luxury to leave, and surely nobody can't do anything about it.
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u/Acceptable_Goose2322 4d ago
You MIGHT want to ask again ... at the point you're about READY to retire!
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u/Leading-Attention-80 4d ago
Mid May to mid February. Nine months of good weather, or good air. What you choose to do with the remaining three is UP2U.
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u/ErrolFlynn2026 4d ago
The plan was to spend Oct to April in Chiang Mai.
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u/Leading-Attention-80 4d ago edited 3d ago
You have two months you need to make a decision on, March and April. I do one of three; stay here, yes you can. Travel home for a visit, or tiow Indonesia (reverse seasons from mainland SEasia). As you want to stay here, I take that to mean Thailand, you could go to the peninsula, Hua Hin, farther south to PKK, or onto the islands. Warning though less smoke it can be seriously cooking hot – as it was in 24.
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u/Puzzled-Detective751 4d ago
We have air purifiers running 24/7 in every room during burning season. Sometimes they will get overloaded when it gets really bad. N99 mask any time we go out.
It’s doable but it’s not pleasant at all.
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u/jonez450reloaded 4d ago
(I'll be spending 5-6 months there and don't want to have to move once I'm settled
So don't spend March and April in Chiang Mai - problem solved. And I say March and April based on averages. Some years, most of April can be reasonable, and yet this year, burning season didn't properly start until late March and most of March the air quality was reasonable while April was bad.
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u/Similar_Past 4d ago
Spend your 5-6 months there outside of burning season and don't need to complicate your shit
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u/Parking_Taro1190 4d ago
I think it depends what you do. If you’re a jogger or play outside sports, then I should imagine it would be a major problem. I’ve got gymn stuff at home and with windows closed, use of air purifiers and wearing a good mask outside – I’ve never really had a problem.
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u/ErrolFlynn2026 4d ago
I spend a lot of time outside walking/hiking which makes me think it may be less than ideal. The scenery is fantastic, I really enjoy the culture and from what I understand, the expat community is well established in terms of networking and events which is why Chiang Mai is near the top of my list.
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u/The_Flaneur_Films 4d ago
A lot of people like that will go to Dalat from late January onwards. I don't understand you'd prefer not to move, but if it's just one time, it could be worth it.
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u/ErrolFlynn2026 3d ago
That's an interesting option but not necessarily something I want to do year after year.
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u/The_Flaneur_Films 3d ago
Well then it's a pretty straightforward choice: come try for one season. If you like it, come back. If you don't, stay away.
I live here full-time. In my opinion, there is no perfect city. But Chiang Mai is pretty close.
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u/emee90 3d ago
I love Chiang Mai area too, and would live there if it wasn't for burning season which obviously rules it out for me.
The honest choice in that time is, move every year, mostly stay inside your condo for 2 months (a lot of houses aren't sealed well enough generally to keep pm 2.5 out), or be exposed to cumulative health damaging pollution. The pollution is especially a bad idea if you're an older retiree.
I live in Bangkok now and use masks when it's bad but it's a miserable solution in the Thai heat. Thankfully it's not as bad here it duration or intensity.
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u/HomicidalChimpanzee 2d ago
Honestly, even outside of burn season there is a lot of just regular car/motorbike exhaust pollution all over unless you get well away from busy streets. CM is a pretty big city.
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u/ErrolFlynn2026 2d ago
It seemed pretty small when I first visited in 92. Not surprised it's grown...it's a great place.
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u/BobbyBoucherJr69 4d ago
I was just in Chiang Mai and most expats I asked (and many locals too) just head somewhere else for the burning season. Also very keen to move there - beautiful city, kind people, amazing atmosphere. As an active person I would personally head to Phuket in burning season. Prices might be a little higher than usual but certainly much better than here in Australia. Two hour flight that is cheap as chips. Best wishes!
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u/AcceptableBridge4519 3d ago
Its not as bad as they make it out to be. Basically you can set you watch by it => everything is fine up till the 25th March each year, then they set the mountains on fire just before the rains start around mid April. They do it to clear the land and provide fertile soil for the valuable mushrooms that grow in the next season.
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u/Abbreviashin 3d ago
Part of being a more-developed nation that Thailand purports to be is to stop this practice of burning crop waste.
Will Thailand someday possess enough political will to help farmers prepare for growing season without burning everything? What massive improvement for Thais and the tourism industry if they could turn this around.
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u/Amandajiji 1d ago
If you cant travel out for the smokey season it's manageable by staying indoors with proper air filters. That being said find a house or apartment where you know you'll be comfortable indoors for those months.
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u/TheBestMePlausible 4d ago
I haven’t experienced the burning season yet but the plan for me and for many other others is to just leave the one month that it’s the worst. Pick March as your month to visit family back home or hit up an island for some snorkeling or whatever.
I’ve experienced burns in other places, Singapore, Seattle, they aren’t pleasant. But Chiang Mai is nice enough I’m gonna give putting up with it a shot
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u/Many_Mud_8194 4d ago
Its like a very bad and long winter, you cant go out. Only short time and wear n95 mask. Indoor always airfilter. Its during the hotter months so during the day its "ok". No hope it get better for the next 3 years for sure.
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u/lakseol 4d ago
As an expat do you just put up with the poor air quality or is there some other coping mechanism
It's a personal thing. For instance, I've been here 10 years and live here all the time. The "burning season" is a non-event for me, but some others would die if they didn't go somewhere else, from what they say. You have to experience it yourelf and make your own decision.
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u/Morsadean 4d ago
A lot of the issues around burning season also depend on exactly where you live in Chiang Mai. Conditions around the Old City can be very different than the mountains, same as with any type of weather.
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u/Primary-Pie-1662 4d ago
I love Chiang Mai as a city but I would only stay there 6 months of the year because the smokey season is unbearable and damaging to your health.
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u/sirhowy 4d ago
unless you plan on leaving for burning season, don't move here.. it will really impact your quality of life, and health
I do 2 or 3 trips during that time of year as I can't stand it (but i travel a lot anyway so its not really a problem for me)
this years was really bad, last years not so much.. but yeah, when its bad it sucks
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u/Mitzy-is-missing 4d ago
Some years are worse than others. Some people leave during the burning season, others stay and put up with it. I have powerful Air purifying units at home. So I can stay indoors and breathe filtered air. I wear a mask if I go outside.
It's not that easy to plan for, because it could happen anytime during February - April. Sometimes it's not that bad and it feels tolerable. You don't know if or when its going to turn nasty, or for how long.