Guides
Toilets on the road
Information as of 2026-09-21
Flushing, seated, European-style toilets are normal in Ulaanbaatar hotels and restaurants. Across the rest of the country squat toilets are the standard, and at some ger camps and homestays the toilet is a simple pit with a plank over it.
Soap and toilet paper are usually not provided outside city hotels, so travellers need to carry their own.
On long drives between settlements there are frequently no facilities at all for hours at a time, and drivers simply stop on the open steppe.
Only about 10% of Mongolia's roads are tarmacked, and signposting is minimal, so journeys between towns are long
Water is considered sacred, and urinating in a lake or river is a serious breach of custom as well as a health risk.
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- Carry toilet paper, hand sanitiser and a small bag for used paper in your day pack, not in the luggage on the roof.
- When stopping on the steppe, walk well away from any ger, water source or livestock, and keep the vehicle in sight.
- Pack out what you pack in; there is no waste collection outside towns.
- Women travelling on long countryside drives often find a lightweight sarong or long skirt more practical than trousers for roadside stops.
- Use the toilet at every hotel, camp and restaurant stop rather than waiting; the next one may be three hours away.