Pemba Island: Diving, Cloves and Tanzania’s Forgotten Island

What Pemba is and is not

Pemba is roughly 1,000 km² of hilly, forested island with a deeply indented coastline, mangrove channels, and clove plantations that have made it historically one of the world’s main clove producers. The name "Green Island" reflects the landscape: where Zanzibar’s coast is low and sandy, Pemba’s hills rise directly from the sea and the interior is dense forest. The population is around 400,000, most making a living from cloves, fishing, or seaweed farming.

What it is not: a beach holiday destination. There are no broad white-sand beaches, no organised beach bars, no resort infrastructure in the Zanzibar sense. The handful of lodges are small, some eco-focused, and the facilities outside them are basic. Chake Chake, the main town, has local markets, a hospital, and government offices — not restaurants and tourist shops. Visitors who arrive expecting Zanzibar North and find genuine Tanzania are the ones who love it; visitors expecting similar infrastructure are disappointed.

Diving: the reason most people come

Pemba’s diving is rated among the best in East Africa, and some of the best in the Indian Ocean. The island sits on a channel with strong tidal currents that bring cold, nutrient-rich water up from depth, producing exceptional reef health and fish density on the walls. The main dive sites are steep drop-offs that fall from 10–15 metres to well beyond recreational limits, with soft coral growth, sea fans, and schooling fish. Drift dives along the walls in current are the signature experience — buoyant in mid-water, carried past walls of coral and clouds of reef fish at pace.

Misali Island, off Pemba’s west coast, is designated as a coral sanctuary and covers some of the best-protected reef on the island. Green turtles nest on the beaches; manta rays pass on the current; reef sharks are common and whitetips rest on the sandy bottom. The site is accessible as a day trip from Chake Chake by speedboat, or from Fundu Lagoon, one of the island’s two serious lodges. Night dives around Pemba have a reputation for cuttlefish, octopus, and phosphorescent plankton displays.

Skill level: Pemba is not a learner destination. The current dives require a comfort level with drift diving and at least an advanced open water certification. If certification and experience are at the basic level, take lessons at Paje first and return to Pemba for the walls.

Getting there from Zanzibar

The practical option is a light aircraft. Coastal Aviation and Auric Air both operate Zanzibar (ZNZ) to Pemba (PMA) on scheduled services — the flight is 30–40 minutes. Fares typically run USD 100–150 one-way; book in advance as capacity is small. Flights do not run every day on all operators, so confirm the schedule around your travel dates.

The ferry alternative is Azam Marine, which runs from Stone Town to Mkoani on Pemba’s south coast in approximately 3–4 hours. Deck class costs around USD 20–25 and first class USD 30–35; the crossing can be choppy and is significantly longer than the flight. For those with time and a lower budget, the ferry is an experience in itself — local passengers, livestock occasionally, and the coastline appearing out of the channel. The airport on Pemba (PMA) is near Chake Chake in the centre of the island; Mkoani port is in the south.

Where to stay: the two lodges that matter

Accommodation on Pemba is limited and ranges from very basic guesthouses in Chake Chake to two lodges at the higher end. Fundu Lagoon, on the west coast, is the established option — a collection of bandas and villas on a hillside above a bay, with a dive centre and direct access to some of the island’s best diving sites. It closes for part of the year, so check availability well in advance. The second option is The Manta Resort, also on the west coast, whose floating underwater room — a platform anchored offshore with a submerged bedroom panel — is the property’s headline feature and widely photographed. Both are significantly more expensive than most Zanzibar lodges and justified primarily by their dive access and remoteness.

Budget travellers use guesthouses in Chake Chake or Wete — very basic, no frills, and aimed primarily at local and business travellers rather than tourists. Facilities match the price: ceiling fans, mosquito nets, local food from the market. If a rough-and-ready base suits you and diving is the priority rather than the room, this works.

Pemba flying foxes and other reasons to go

The Pemba flying fox (Pteropus voeltzkowi) is an endemic giant fruit bat found only on Pemba and one of the largest bat species in the world, with wingspans reaching up to 1.6 metres. Evening roosts on the island are spectacular — thousands hanging from trees, taking flight at dusk in disorganised waves that fill the sky. The species is listed as vulnerable, and local conservation efforts around key roosting sites have improved in recent years.

Birdwatching: Pemba has its own endemic subspecies of several birds, and serious birders come specifically for the Pemba green pigeon, Pemba scops owl, and Pemba sunbird. The clove forests in the island’s interior are the best habitat. The Misali Island forest is also good, particularly on a guided early-morning visit before the snorkelling groups arrive.

For context: Pemba is a full day’s travel from Zanzibar and back, and realistically worth two to four nights minimum to justify the effort. Most guests at Boutique Hotel Matlai who ask about Pemba end up staying on the east coast rather than making the trip — the island suits divers above all others, and people who specifically want to be away from the tourist circuit.