The lighthouse is located near the centre of Sombrero island, and reaches a height of almost 51 metres (167 ft) above sea level.

It consisted of a circular pyramidal skeletal tower, on concrete base, with balcony and lantern; by 1893 it was managed by the British Board of Trade.

In 1931, the old light system was changed and improved to 200,000 candle power and the tower received its first major repair when the basement was encased in concrete.

The second light was a square pyramidal skeletal tower 28 metres (92 ft) high with central cylinder mounted on a concrete base.

The light is positioned at 28 metres (92 ft) above sea level and emits one white flash in a 10 seconds period visible up to a distance of 17 nautical miles (31 km; 20 mi).