Cape Rachado Lighthouse

Tanjung Tuan, called Cape Rachado on old charts, is a forested headland jutting into the Malacca Strait at Port Dickson, and the lighthouse on it has origins claimed back to the Portuguese in the sixteenth century, rebuilt by the Dutch and then the British, which would make it among the oldest light stations in the region. It stands where the Strait narrows to about thirty-eight kilometres, and on a clear day Sumatra is visible across the water. The headland is also the best raptor watching site in the country: in spring, migrating honey buzzards, black bazas and other raptors cross from Sumatra and make landfall here in thousands over a few weeks, which draws birders from across the region. The walk up from the gate is short, steep and through good coastal forest.

History

Unofficial local accounts trace the lighthouse back to the years after the Portuguese took Malacca in 1511, but the present lighthouse was built in 1863, when Malacca was a British Straits Settlement (Wikipedia, Cape Rachado Lighthouse).

What's there

• An old light station - claimed to Portuguese origins, rebuilt by later powers.
• Sumatra across the water - visible at the narrowest point of the Strait.
• Spring raptor migration - thousands crossing and making landfall on the cape.
• Coastal forest - the short steep walk up through it from the gate.

When to go

All year; February to April for the raptor crossing. Half a day.

Practical notes

The tower itself is usually closed and access to the compound can be restricted. The walk up is steep and hot. Haze often hides Sumatra. Raptor numbers depend on wind and weather.

Nearby

Port Dickson beaches are north; Malacca is south-east.

Key facts