The toilet - it's small, functional and using it usually involves staring at a door. But for the water closet connoisseur, there are a handful of places where the loo is an area of outstanding beauty.

From such fascinating locations as the summit loo on Mount Sinai and Maharajas' thrones in India to safari loos in Zambia and ultra-modern, multi-functional facilities in Japan, this is a collection of the most uplifting vistas from the latrines of the world.

Answering the call of nature will take you from the functional to the sublime with the help of this, the ultimate good loo guide.