Guisi Lighthouse

The lighthouse at Guisi was built by the Spanish in the 1890s on a headland above a cove on Guimaras' southwestern shore, and it has been left to weather since it was superseded: the iron tower stands with its framework corroding, the plaster gone, and the keeper's quarters beside it are a roofless brick shell with trees growing through the floor. A staircase inside the tower has deteriorated badly and climbing it is discouraged. The ruin sits above a small beach with clear water and a scatter of huts, and the combination - crumbling colonial structure, sea below, a few resorts along the cove - has made it Guimaras' most photographed spot. The island is otherwise known for mangoes, a quiet coastline, the Trappist monastery and the small islands off the southern shore, and it is reached in fifteen minutes by ferry from Iloilo.

What you actually see

• The iron tower - the corroding 1890s light on the point.
• The roofless quarters - the brick shell of the keeper's house.
• The cove below - Guisi's beach and clear water.
• The headland view - the Panay coast across the strait.

When to go

November to May for dry weather and calm crossings. Late afternoon for light on the ruin and the cove.

Honest expectations

The structure is genuinely unsafe in places - the internal stair is degraded and climbing is discouraged. There is no interpretation and facilities are limited to the cove's huts. The road down is rough.

Nearby

The Trappist monastery, the mango farms and Guimaras' southern islands are elsewhere on the island; Iloilo is a short ferry away.