Precarious: Outdoor plumbing isn’t needed in the Altai Mountains (Picture: Caters)

You’re never short of time and space to think in the lavatory at the end of the world.

Just don’t use it at night. The privy stands on the edge of a cliff 2,600m (8,500ft) above sea level in the Altai Mountains.

So one false step (or puff of wind) could mean curtains. Needless to say, there is no need for plumbing and no room for squeamish users.

For the five weather station workers at Kara-Tyurek in Siberia, the most important thing to remember is the loo roll. It arrives once a month by helicopter – if the postman who collects the weather data remembers to bring it.




The Interfax news agency in Belarus recently declared it the ‘most extreme’ toilet in the world and noted that it takes years for its users to sit comfortably.

‘The toilet is perhaps the most unromantic place possible,’ Interfax said.