Our truck camper doesn’t have a bathroom and yet we lived in it for months while traveling through Baja. People wonder, how does that work? Good question.
See a video Tour of the Inside of Our Camper HERE.
In short….you find a way. There are plenty of toilets in Baja. Some may not be what you’re used to but I promise, they will serve, so long as you are willing. This is not the time to be picky.
What follows is info on baños (Español for “bathroom”) and using the loo in Mexico.
One of our favorite things is beach camping. There’s nothing like opening the door in the morning to a view like the one below.
The Pits
Some beaches are tended by locals. In exchange for a modest daily fee, you might expect trash receptacles, maybe a palapa (shade structure), and a pit toilet.
A pit toilet is, in simple terms, a hole dug into the ground, over which a toilet of some type is positioned.
In Baja the details vary quite a lot.
Some pit toilets have walls and a roof. While others could be a toilet seat over a hole in the ground and not much else.
Pictured below is a fancy version. Practically a work of art:
Then there’s the popular modified port-a-potty. Those plastic things that can be rented for events and such. They are fit over a hole dug in the ground. Those pictured below had rickety wood pallet’s serving as the “floor”. You say a little prayer that the floor holds! They featured toilet seats painted brown. Camouflage? (What you can’t see can’t hurt you???) Occasionally, a bucket of lime is provided so you can toss a scoop over your deposit. Lime: The odor eater since grandpa’s outhouse days.
Don’t Forget the Shovel
The best places are often down the worst roads. Remote. No bathrooms. In these situations, you grab a shovel and dig a cat hole. Preferably behind a shrub or large cactus for privacy. (Watch out for that cactus!) Then you squat and do your business in the manner of our ancestors. What could be more natural?
Indoor Plumbing…sort of?
Of course, there are plenty of plumbed toilets too. We stayed at a variety of RV parks with bathroom facilities. Some are very nice. Others can be a bit rustic or even broken….like the one below.
Even the indoor, porcelain toilets sometimes come with a twist. For instance The Bucket Flush. You’re provided a bucket…to fill with water (from a spout on the wall…or a barrel) to dump into the toilet.
And now a word about toilet paper.
Most of the septic systems aren’t equipped to deal with toilet paper. Thus, don’t flush the paper. You’re asked to place it in the trash instead. This is common. As a result of this practice, the paper is more oft than not, scented. Yes. Perfumed toilet paper. In fact, it’s difficult to find any that is unscented. I speculate this is intended to mask less pleasant smells associated with throwing used paper in the trash.
If you’re only going to Cabo to hang at fancy resorts, I doubt you’ll encounter the types of toilets covered in this post. I’ve never set foot in the resorts of Cabo, but I imagine they have they have nice toilets in which you can flush your paper. You certainly won’t be digging a cat hole! But I guarantee, you’ll also be missing out on the true Baja experience.
So that’s it. The bathroom situation can be different than the one you have at home but we certainly had no problem traveling in a tiny camper with no toilet.
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