Laem Phromthep Lighthouse

Laem Phromthep is the headland at the southern end of Phuket, a spine of rock and coarse grass running out into the Andaman Sea with a small island off its point. The lighthouse standing above it is modern, squat and white, built in the 1990s, and it is open to visitors: inside are old navigation instruments, sextants, lamps and charts, and a short climb leads to a gallery with a full circuit of sea. The cape below is the island's traditional sunset gathering place, with a path down the ridge, a shrine hung with wooden elephants, and a view along the west coast. It is one of the few genuinely free viewpoints left on Phuket.

What you actually see

• The lighthouse gallery - a full circle of sea from the walkway at the top.
• The navigation exhibit - old instruments, lamps and charts in the tower rooms.
• The cape path - the ridge walk out along the grassy headland.
• The elephant shrine - carved wooden elephants left as offerings above the point.

When to go

November to April is the dry season on this coast and the only reliable window for a clear sunset. Arrive well before the sun drops if you want anywhere to stand, or come mid-morning instead when the cape is nearly empty and the light is good along the coast. The lighthouse keeps daytime hours and closes before sunset.

Honest expectations

Sunset here is a scrum: coaches, minibuses, a full car park and several hundred people along the ridge, with vendors working the crowd. Getting out afterwards can take an hour. The lighthouse itself is small and the exhibit modest. The headland is exposed with no shade, and the path down the ridge is loose underfoot.

Nearby

Rawai and Nai Harn beaches and the windmill viewpoint along the coast road.