Cape Keri lighthouse at sunset

Beyond the village of Keri the road climbs to the island's south-western corner and stops at a lighthouse on the cliff edge. The tower itself is modest; what matters is where it stands — two hundred metres of vertical limestone above the sea, at the point where Zakynthos ends and the open Ionian begins. On the way up, the roadside viewpoints look north to the Mizithres, two pinnacle rocks standing offshore below the cliffs.

It is the island's best sunset, and unlike Navagio it is a place you can actually stand in rather than look down into. The frames divide neatly: wide, with the couple on the cliff shelf and nothing but sea and sky; and closer, using the lighthouse and the dry-stone edge for structure. Because the ground is open on three sides, the light wraps rather than falls from one side.

The sun sets straight out to sea here, so the whole sky burns and the cliff face behind holds warm light for a while after. Come in the last hour and stay twenty minutes past sundown: the crowd that gathers at the taverna terrace leaves immediately, and the best colour is what they miss. Spring puts wildflowers on the clifftop; August burns it to straw.

Practical: the cliff edges are unfenced, the ground crumbles at the lip and there is a real drop — keep everyone well back and never reverse towards it for a wider shot. The last stretch of road is narrow, parking is a rough patch near the taverna, and there is no lighting once the sun is gone. Bring a torch and a layer for the wind.