Toilets on Kilimanjaro
Practical solutions throughout your journey
Navigating the practicalities of a Mount Kilimanjaro climb includes understanding the toilet facilities available during your ascent to 5,895 meters (19,341 feet), and Discount Treks ensures this aspect is addressed with clarity and care.
Whether you’re trekking the hut-based Marangu Route or camping along the tented trails like Lemosho or Northern Circuit, toilet arrangements vary across the mountain, ranging from basic park-provided options to portable solutions offered by our team. Proper sanitation is essential for comfort, hygiene, and environmental preservation, and our staff works diligently to provide suitable facilities tailored to your route and preferences. This page outlines the toilet options on Kilimanjaro, their conditions, and how Discount Treks enhances your experience with practical solutions throughout your journey.
Toilets on the Marangu Route
The Marangu Route, often referred to as the “Coca-Cola Route,” stands out for its use of permanent huts, which include basic toilet facilities managed by Kilimanjaro National Park. At each stop Mandara Huts at 2,700 meters, Horombo Huts at 3,720 meters, and Kibo Hut at 4,703 meters—climbers find long-drop pit latrines adjacent to the sleeping quarters.
These rudimentary toilets consist of a hole in the ground with a simple structure overhead, offering privacy but minimal comfort, as they lack running water or flush systems. Discount Treks ensures you’re prepared for these conditions through pre-trek briefings, where our guides advise bringing personal sanitation supplies like toilet paper, wet wipes, and hand sanitizer, as park facilities provide none. During peak seasons, these toilets can become busy and less clean due to high climber traffic, but our staff encourages respectful use to maintain hygiene for all. For those seeking an upgrade, we offer portable toilets as an add-on, even on this hut-based route, ensuring a more comfortable experience.
Toilets on Tented Routes
For tented routes such as Machame, Rongai, Lemosho, and the Northern Circuit, toilet facilities shift to a combination of park-provided and expedition-supplied options.
Kilimanjaro National Park installs long-drop latrines at most campsites simple wooden or metal enclosures over pits, scattered across locations like Shira Camp or Barafu Camp. These public facilities vary in cleanliness and availability, often becoming strained during busy periods, with no running water or supplies provided. Discount Treks supplements these with our standard mess tent setup, which includes a basic privacy screen for emergencies, though most climbers rely on the park latrines by default.
To elevate sanitation, we strongly recommend our private portable toilet service, a popular choice on these routes, featuring a lightweight, chemical-based unit with a seat and waste containment system, set up inside a dedicated tent for privacy.
Our staff maintains these units daily, ensuring cleanliness and functionality, making them a hygienic and convenient option amidst the mountain’s rugged campsites.
Portable Toilet Option
Discount Treks enhances your Kilimanjaro climb with the option to rent a private portable toilet, particularly suited for tented routes but available across all itineraries upon request.
This service provides a compact, chemical toilet with a comfortable seat, housed in a small tent pitched at each campsite by our porters, offering privacy and a significant upgrade over park facilities.
Priced at $250 per trip for a group, this shared amenity is maintained by our staff, who empty and clean it daily using eco-friendly methods compliant with park regulations, ensuring minimal environmental impact. Climbers opting for this appreciate the consistency and cleanliness it brings, especially on longer routes like the 8-9 day Northern Circuit or at high-altitude stops like Crater Camp, where public options are absent.
Our guides coordinate its setup and placement, balancing convenience with campsite aesthetics, making it an investment in comfort that many find worthwhile for the duration of their trek.