A survivors guide to chiang mais burning season iglu. Chiang mais smoky season is at its worst in march each year. Im considering riding a motorbike through the mae hong son loop early april, but a fellow expat who recently left chiang mai reminded me that is currently burning season in northern thailand. Burning season should i be cocnerened for late feb. The early effects of burning season in chiang mai, thailand. Shafer reveals one tangible solution to the burning season in chiang mai the biochar solution. Friend and i are going to chiang mai for 5 days at the end of march. Solutions to burning season chiang mai forum thailand.
As an outdoor enthusiast, life is quite unpleasant during the burning season in chiang mai. The smoky season otherwise known as chiang mais burning season is an annual phenomenon many expats and travelers concern over. Wondering what are some of the best activities to do around chiang mai during this time. Getting towards the end of february here in chiang, mai, thailand and burning season is getting underway. Seasons of chiang mai you should know when planning your. Heres our tips for planning on staying this time of year. If living in chiang mai has such a pollution problem for so many months during the burning season, what makes expats love this place so much. For centuries, it was a walled city surrounded by a. When does it start, how bad is it really, and what the solution to ending it is. Every single day during the burning season, a 55 year old australian man disappears into lampangs forests in search of fire. Thai people wear these thin, white masks during the burning season, but they. Wife wants to stay until the first week of march but i cant remember when the burning starts. Fortunately, burning season tends to coincide with the oscars.
Today is february 12th and although there there is haze in the. Starts in january but the worst of it is in march, when you cant even see the gigantic mountain of. Published on mar 22, 2018 were right in the thick of burning season here in chiang mai. He gives a better understanding of how the smoke in the burning season dangers not only the environment but the people as well.
The burning crisis in northern thailand, including video. Dont get me wrong, i wish that burning season would just not happen in the first place, but its a shame that people online spread fear and tell people not to go to chiang mai as january was actually a great month and those who skipped it missed out. These mountains create a valley that traps the dense vehicle smog and cropburning smoke over chiang mai. Thai waives change fee on flights to japan, south korea, taiwan, singapore. I am planning my itinerary to thailand and right now im planning to be in chiang mai from february 2226. This is my fourth burning season here in pai, thailand. We have considered chiang mai but have heard this is during the burning. Also known as the burning season, this is a time when the air quality in northern thailand, especially chiang mai hits an alltime low due to several reasons. If you book your holiday outside of this period, youll avoid most of the pollution.
Every december and january in chiang mai the one topic you cant seem to avoid is the burning season. Unfortunately for chiang mai it is trapped in a valley surrounded by mountains which hold the smoke in more that some. Before i moved to thailand friends of mine with their two kids flew out for a jungle trek in chiang mai during the burning season and the smoke was so bad they couldnt see where they were going. The smoke from thousands of burning crops across the northern thailand, laos and myanmar region make its way to the city of chiang mai where it becomes trapped amongst the mountain ranges. Northern thailand is manageable during the burning season but it is miserable for those last few weeks before songkran if youre a tourist and you want to do things. Everything you want to know about burning season in chiang mai. Rather than dealing with summer, winter, autumnfall, and springlike youre used to, understanding the best time of year to visit chiang mai can be overwhelming. Officially burning season in chiang mai is from march 1st april 12th.
At the time the sky was hazy and the air smelled like a campfire but we werent overly affected by the dry heat or the smoke at the time. But i just wanted to ask you a couple of questions. Burning season question i know this topic always come up, so i apologize in advance. Burning season in chiang mai chiang mai message board. I personally avoid chiang mai during march and april but the burning is not confined to chiang mai or even just to northern thailand it also happens in laos cambodia myanmar in fact anywhere where there is a lot of farming. My family plans to be in chiang mai about middec 2018.
Many of the expats will leave chiang mai as soon as they start noticing the smog. Were right in the thick of burning season here in chiang mai. Chiang mai is also surrounded by doi suthep, doi saket, doi inthanon, and doi khun tan. Smog in chiang mai often reduces viability to just a few hundred metres. During the months of march to may, the air quality of northern thailand takes a turn for the worse. Normally i wouldnt recommend going to the cinema in chiang mai, since i dont like shitty superhero or horror movies, and for much of the year that is 90% of whats on offer. Ken, many tourists dont realise the burning problem until they fly into chiang mai. Burning season in chiang mai when is it, how bad is it. Being so early in the burning season, would it be safe to say that there will hardly be any hazesmog during that time. How to deal with chiang mais smoky season tieland to. Burning season from doi suthep in chiang mai 2018 youtube.
Ive heard mixed things about the severity of the conditions during burning season, but it seems the best option is to get out of the city. Paddy or rice fields burning season chiang mai forum. Next year i think the only way to stop the burning,which causes health problems and effects the tourist industry. The chiang mai burning season, should you avoid it. On occasion i will simply ignore the pollution and go for a bike ride or a hike and just suffer the consequences after.
Burning season in chiang mai chiang mai forum tripadvisor. Our experience with chiang mais smoky season we first arrived in chiang mai in march 20 right as the burning season was kicking into high gear. Burning season in chiang mai when is it, how bad is it really. In an attempt to reduce the amount of smoke and smog pollution in chiang mai, the local government have announced a 51 day noburning period where burning in an open air space will be illegal. The reality of visiting northern thailand during the. Even though its bearable to stay in chiang mai during burning season, and if you are young and otherwise healthy you can make it through without any immediate health issues, if you can leave, just go somewhere else for a few weeks while it clears up. Ive been to chiang mai a few times and it looks like i might be back in midfeb for a month. We are also planning to go to bangkok and phuket area. Chiang mai was the capital of lan na, a kingdom that occupied what is now northern thailand from the 1292 to 1775. This film was presented as a work in progress at chiang mai universitys faculty of agriculture on january 8th, 2016 to create awareness and begin a dialogue about the yearly smoke crisis in. That generally means about 67 weeks of the year where chiang mai is best avoided.
This is the time when air pollution spikes dramatically and the entire city is hazy all the time. Hot season, cold season, rainy season, high season, low season, burning seasonall the seasons. Chiang mai wasnt anywhere near that, so we decided to don face masks and suck it up. We have considered chiang mai but have heard this is during the burning season. The crop burning happens between late february and early april each year. He discusses the steps on how to convert this deadly smoke to a product of many uses. You will see a lot of people wearing the masks brought for 10 baht. The chiang mai burning season apocalypse survival guide. Heres a complete guide that will prepare you to face the worst of the burning season in chiang mai. When the high season rolls around between october and february, the increased traffic adds to the air pollution. Many travelers arent aware of this and thus have to face multiple problems. How to deal with chiang mais smoky season tieland to thailand. Preproduction see complete list of inproduction titles.
Armed only with a leaf blower, some fireproof overalls and a. Lampang schools were ordered closed yesterday, jan. Pollution and smog in chiang mai and northern thailand. You can see how bad the smoke really is when you get up to the viewpoints along doi suthep. We are bringing our family to thailand the first 10 days of april. When does the chiang mai burning season start and how long does it last. Last year, chiang mai governor prawin chamniprasart led a 60day blanket ban on all burning from february 20 to april 20. The burning season gets going at the end of february and will usually last until midapril. I really shouldnt be coming around here so often as i have in the last couple of days only kidding. I read that it may start late feb but doesnt usually get bad until march. Sure, sure, the oscars is a bunch of egomaniacs giving each other trophies. A 29yearold drug addict was arrested in doi inthanon national park last night, april 9 for allegedly starting fires. Seasons of chiang mai you should know when planning your visit.