How do you get to Lighthouse Beach in Phuket?

Two ways, both on foot. Coming from Rawai there is a steep descent on the left shortly before Promthep Cape, starting opposite a cafe across the road, with a rope installed along part of it to hold. The alternative is a longer, less steep walk down from Promthep Cape itself. Wear proper shoes either way.

Is Lighthouse Beach safe to visit?

With care. The path is steep and rough, there is no lifeguard, entry to the water is over rock, and currents run around the southern tip where two coasts meet. Go in high season, go in the morning, do not snorkel alone, and do not attempt the path in heavy rain when it gets slick.

Are there facilities at Lighthouse Beach?

None whatsoever. No food, no drink, no toilet, no shade for hire, no sunbeds and no lifeguard. Everything you want you carry down the path and back up again, including your rubbish.

Why is it called Lighthouse Beach?

Because it sits directly below the lighthouse at Promthep Cape. For years the cove had no name at all and no real access; the name came into use once it was marked on Google Maps, and a path down appeared relatively recently.

Is Lighthouse Beach worth the climb?

In high season, for a confident visitor who wants snorkelling and solitude, yes: it is clear, rocky, quiet and a few minutes below the busiest sunset viewpoint on the island. If you want sand, facilities or an easy walk, Ya Nui and Nai Harn are both minutes away and far more practical.

Lighthouse Beach, Phuket: A Scramble Below Promthep

Overview

Lighthouse Beach is the tiny rocky cove directly below the lighthouse at Promthep Cape, and it is the least known beach in Phuket by some distance. For years it had no name at all and effectively no way in. It only picked up the label it now carries because somebody marked it on Google Maps, and a path down to it appeared relatively recently.

That history explains what it is. This is not a beach in the sense that Kata is a beach. It is a small wild cove of sand and boulders at the base of the cliffs on the island's southernmost point, with clear water over rock, no infrastructure of any kind, and a scramble to get in and out. People come for two reasons: snorkelling around the rocks, and photographs.

The contrast with what is directly above it is the appeal. Promthep Cape is the busiest sunset viewpoint in Phuket, with coach parties and a car park full of scooters most evenings. A few minutes below it, on this cove, you can often be alone.

Getting there, which is the whole story

There are two ways down and neither is casual.

Coming from Rawai, there is a steep descent on the left shortly before you reach Promthep Cape, starting opposite a cafe on the other side of the road. The path is steep and rough in places, and somebody has installed a rope along part of it to give you something to hold. It is short but it demands proper shoes and reasonable mobility.

The alternative is to walk down from Promthep Cape itself. That route is longer and less steep, which makes it the sensible choice if the rope section does not appeal.

Either way, treat the climb back up as the harder half, especially in the afternoon heat. Do not attempt either path in heavy rain, when the surface gets slick and the rocks below are being washed. This is not a route for small children, and it is not somewhere to be caught after dark.

What to expect on the sand

Assume nothing is provided, because nothing is. There is no food, no drink, no toilet, no shade for hire, no sunbeds and no lifeguard. Whatever you want, you carry down and carry back up, including your rubbish.

The cove is small and part rock rather than an unbroken sweep of sand, and the amount of usable space changes with the tide. Footwear you can walk on rock in is close to essential.

What you get in return is clear water, granite boulders, a view straight out to the islands off the southern tip, and quiet that is genuinely hard to find this close to a major attraction.

Swimming, snorkelling and safety

Snorkelling around the rocks is the main reason to make the effort, and high season, roughly November to April, is when the water is calm and clear enough to make it worthwhile.

Be realistic about the risks. There is no lifeguard, the entry is over rock, currents run around the southern tip of the island where two coasts meet, and if something went wrong you would be at the bottom of a steep path a long way from help. Swim conservatively, stay close in, do not snorkel alone, and keep well clear of the rocks whenever there is swell.

In the green season, May to October, the combination of swell into an unsupervised rocky cove and a slippery access path makes this a beach to look at from above rather than climb down to. Our guide on the best time to visit Phuket sets out the seasons.

Location and getting there

The cove sits below Promthep Cape at the southern tip of the island, about 19 kilometres from Phuket Town and roughly an hour from the airport. Ya Nui Beach is under a kilometre away by road and is the easy alternative if the scramble does not appeal.

There is no parking at the beach because there is no road to it. You park at Promthep Cape or on the roadside near the path, both of which fill in the hour before sunset when the viewpoint crowd arrives. Motorbikes are far easier than cars. No public transport serves it.

Good to know

Entry is free. The access is the price.

Go in the morning for the calmest water, the coolest climb and an empty cove, and leave time to be back up at the cape for sunset, which is five minutes away and is the best free thing in southern Phuket. Take water, take shoes with grip, take a mask if you snorkel, and take everything home with you. If you want a beach you can park at and swim from without a scramble, Ya Nui and Nai Harn are both minutes away, and every other beach is on our Phuket beaches page.