Pemba Island

Why Pemba Is the Archipelago’s Wild Sister

Pemba is the northern island of the Zanzibar archipelago, and in character its opposite. Where Unguja is flat and busy, Pemba is hilly, intensely green, and deeply traditional — a landscape of clove plantations, forested ridges, rice valleys, and mangrove inlets that earned it the name ‘the Green Island’. Tourism is light, and Swahili island life carries on much as it has for generations.

Beneath the surface it is world-class. The deep Pemba Channel drops steeply close to shore, creating dramatic walls and drift dives over pristine coral that rank among the best in the Indian Ocean — a destination experienced divers travel a long way for. Above water, there are empty beaches, offshore islets, and a handful of exclusive lodges.

Pemba suits serious divers and independent travellers who want somewhere genuinely unspoilt and off the beaten track. It is reached by a short flight from Zanzibar or Dar es Salaam and rewards those willing to go beyond the obvious.

What to See & Do

• World-class wall and drift diving in the deep Pemba Channel
• Lush, hilly scenery of clove plantations and forested ridges
• A deeply traditional, lightly visited Swahili island culture
• Empty beaches, mangrove inlets, and offshore islets
• A handful of exclusive, secluded lodges

How a Visit Works

Pemba is reached by a short scheduled flight from Zanzibar or Dar es Salaam to Chake Chake. Accommodation is limited and ranges from simple guesthouses to a few exclusive dive and beach lodges. Diving is the headline activity, best suited to those with some experience given the channel’s currents. Most travellers stay four to seven nights, often as a dedicated diving trip.

Empty green hills, clove-scented air, and the most dramatic wall diving I’ve done anywhere. Pemba is the archipelago as it must have been decades ago. — Guest review, TripAdvisor

Things to Do

• Guided exploration and wildlife viewing
• Photography-focused safari days
• Custom private itinerary planning