Pemba Island

Pemba is Zanzibar’s quiet northern sibling — a hilly, fertile island of clove and coconut groves, mangrove creeks and deep blue water. Green and undeveloped, it feels a world away from the resort beaches further south, and that is precisely its charm.

To divers, Pemba is legendary. Its steep, current-swept reef walls drop dramatically into deep water, festooned with soft corals and sea fans and patrolled by big pelagics. Many experienced divers consider Pemba’s underwater scenery superior to Zanzibar’s, and the lack of crowds keeps it intimate.

Above the water, Pemba is one of the world’s great clove producers, and the scent of drying cloves hangs over its markets. The protected Ngezi Forest, remnant mangrove and coral-rag habitat, shelters flying foxes and endemic birds, while quiet fishing villages preserve a slower, older way of life.

Pemba rewards travellers who value nature, diving and authenticity. We can arrange the short flights and dive logistics, and combine the island with Zanzibar, Mafia or a mainland safari.

Pemba’s underwater topography is what sets it apart. Unlike the shallow shelves around much of Zanzibar, the island is fringed by steep drop-offs where coral walls plunge into deep, nutrient-rich water. These conditions grow spectacular soft corals, gorgonian sea fans and sponges, and attract the larger marine life that divers travel for.

The best-known sites lie off the north and north-west, including walls near Njao and the legendary drift dives where currents sweep divers past clouds of fish, grey reef sharks and the occasional manta or hammerhead. Turtles are common, and the macro life in sheltered spots is excellent.

Because Pemba is less visited, you often have a site to yourself, and dive centres keep groups small. Visibility is generally strong in the dry season, and the warm water means comfortable diving in a shorty or even swimwear for much of the year.

Pemba has long been celebrated as the “clove island”, and cloves remain central to its economy and identity. Along the island’s fertile ridge, smallholders tend clove, cinnamon, black pepper, vanilla and cardamom, just as they have for generations.

A spice tour here is more intimate than on Zanzibar. You walk working farms with a local guide, learn how cloves are harvested and dried on woven mats, and taste fruits and spices picked fresh around you. The aroma of drying cloves in the villages is unforgettable.

Beyond spices, Pemba grows rice, cassava, bananas and coconuts, and much of daily life revolves around the land and the sea. Green and well-watered, the island feels genuinely agricultural — a working place rather than a resort.

Ngezi Forest Reserve, at the northern tip of Pemba, protects one of the last remaining patches of lowland forest in the Zanzibar Archipelago. It is a dense, green world of tall trees, lianas and ferns, with a boardwalk and trails threading through it.

The forest is home to the Pemba flying fox, a large fruit bat that roosts in the canopy, as well as monkeys, bushbabies and a rich bird list that includes the Pemba green pigeon, Pemba white-eye and other endemic or near-endemic species. Quiet early-morning walks offer the best wildlife encounters.

Adjacent mangrove creeks, seagrass beds and coral reefs complete a rare chain of connected habitats. This ecological richness, on land and underwater, is why Pemba is increasingly recognised as a conservation priority in the region.

Pemba’s main town, Chake Chake, sits on a tidal inlet and bustles with small trade, while Wete in the north serves the clove-growing heartland. Both are pleasant, low-key places to experience everyday Swahili life.

The island has a long history as part of the Swahili coast trading world, and old ruins and tombs hint at its past connections. Yet Pemba never developed the grand stone architecture of Zanzibar’s capital, remaining instead a patchwork of villages and farmland.

Hospitality here is warm and unhurried. Tourism is still small, so visitors are something of a novelty, and a respectful, curious approach opens doors to genuine encounters — from fish markets at dawn to conversations over spiced tea.