The world's best bathrooms offer breathtaking views

As any experienced traveller knows, you can tell a whole lot about a place by its bathrooms. Whatever you prefer to call them - lavatory, loo, bog, khazi, thunderbox, dunny, washroom or water closet - toilets are a (sometimes opaque, often wide-open) window into the secret soul of a destination.

From pews with mountain views to eco-thrones of sticks and stones, the most extraordinary examples often transcend their primary function to become works of art or cultural statements in their own right.

Barafu Camp, Tanzania

Squatting on the edge of a cliff, 4600m up the flanks of Mt Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, the Barafu Camp khazi takes the concept of a long-drop toilet to an elevated level. Pole pole (slowly, slowly) is the standard mantra when climbing Africa's highest peak, but that adage doesn't apply here.

Public lavatories, Matakana, New Zealand

Locals in Matakana waited seven years and spent a pretty penny (NZ$400,000) to come face-to-face with their pouting public toilets, which provoked plaudits and protestation. Matakana lad Steffan de Haan's design is highly symbolic, from the facade to the shipshape cubicles, a nod to the local boat-building industry.

Krafla, Iceland

This ever-so-alfresco ablution station in the middle of the Icelandic outback, near Krafla Geothermal Power Station, is an enigma. No one seems to know who installed it, or why, but that doesn't worry happy hikers who, after stumbling across it, invariably Instagram images of themselves perched on the pan.

Thiksey Monastery, Ladakh, India

Located on a hilltop about 20km (12.5 miles) from Leh in Ladakh, India, Thiksey is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery of the Yellow Hat (Gelugpa) sect. Lamas here live quiet lives dedicated to the cultivation of the view of emptiness... but at least they have a great valley vista from their 'panorama toilet'.

Eco-toilet, British Columbia, Canada

Yes, of course bears do... especially when the facilities are this swanky. Make like a grizzly and sit in the woods, on this uber green composting machine in Taylor Arm Provincial Park, a raw wilderness area on the north side of Sproat Lake in British Columbia, Canada.

Tonto Trail, Grand Canyon National Park, USA

Limited privacy is the trade-off for sensational views from the hot seats of these composting campsite toilets on the 112km (70 mile)-long Tonto Trail through Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona. Instead of going rim-to-rim, the Tonto Trail traces the Colorado River, traversing the bench separating the inner gorge from the upper canyon.

Schönbrunn Castle toilets, Vienna, Austria

These leafy conveniences are found in the vast verdant grounds of Vienna's 17th-century Schönbrunn Castle. This 1441-room Baroque palace, complete with expansive gardens exquisitely manicured and shaped over successive centuries by the green hands of the Habsburg's royal gardeners, is one of the biggest attractions in the Austrian capital.

Valley view restroom, Laos

Sit, stand or squat - the choice is yours in this well-maintained roadside rest stop in the mountainous Southeast Asian nation of Laos. Whichever way you lean, the valley view from the loo, through a wide-open hole in the wall, is utterly uplifting.

Huldefossen waterfall, Norway

No need to run the tap while perching on this picturesque potty next to the cacophonous Huldefossen Waterfall near Førde in Norway; the sound of thousands of gallons of water rushing over the 90m (295ft) drop should drown out any unwanted acoustics. Norway boasts nine of the world's 20 highest waterfalls.

Gaudí-style toilets, Bahia, Brazil

Gaudí-style toilet blocks are a surprise addition to a sprawling Brazilian beach resort like Bahia's Praia do Forte, but they're just one of many modern additions that combine to confuse leatherback turtles that have nested here for thousands of years. Fortunately, a local sanctuary looks out for the bewildered beasts.

Segantini hut restroom, Switzerland

Austrian-born 19th-century painter Giovanni Segantini lived his last years in a St Moritz alpine aerie now known as Segantini Hut, capturing the Swiss peaks with his palette. The hut, perched at 2731m (8960ft), is currently a lodge, where visitors to the iconic outhouse enjoy eye-watering valley views of the Engadine.

Basham Beach Conservation Park, Australia

You can virtually see the sea from this eco-friendly unisex dunny in Basham Beach Conservation Park near Port Elliott on the Fleurieu Peninsula in South Australia. If the waves were visible, you might even spot from here one of the migrating southern right whales that regularly cruise this coast during the winter.

Reader Comments

pinkfreud · 2016-04-16T20:36:34Z

If I had the money I would plan a world tour just to use each of these rest rooms.

Joan · 2016-04-16T21:03:18Z

In Jest @ pinkfreud, one could say your money is going down the toilet. Breathtaking views nonetheless and a memorable experience I should imagine.

pinkfreud · 2016-04-16T23:42:50Z

@joan. Yup it would be a craptastic voyage. Obviously if I had the money I would use it in a much more altruistic manner then taking exotic comfort poops. Maybe I would just go to one of the locations and stay for a week.

gdpetti · 2016-04-17T03:22:18Z

A week of altruistic pootasms?

pinkfreud · 2016-04-17T04:02:00Z

A working class man/woman deserves a week of good shits.

another1 · 2016-04-17T05:21:45Z

That one on Kili (Barafu camp) should be missed. 2 holes in a sheet of rotting plywood wherein you are taking your chances that you don't fall into the "mess" below when the wood rots out. Oh, and then there is the "stench". Honestly, if you are going to climb Kili, find a large boulder with a view to hide behind on and have a much better experience.

pinkfreud · 2016-04-17T04:26:21Z

Just toilet humor gdpetti. If you needed one of the 3 dollars that I have then I would gladly give it to you. I literally only have 3 dollars.
So yes if I had the money to shit in a fancy place, I would. I have never been able to do fancy things. I'm not upset about it but considering the fact that I've had to dumpster dive to stay alive at least understand that to take a celebrity crap might actually mean a lot to me. I don't want much. Just a nice view when I have to push.