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Pemba Island

Pemba: An Introduction

Pemba Island lies 40km north of the 'main' island of Zanzibar, (Unguja). Pemba slightly smaller, but is much much more rural than Zanzibar. Where Zanzibar (Unguja) is relatively flat, Pemba's hills and escarpments are green and picturesque, coloured by the rich greens of ten types of mangoes, and many hundreds of clove trees that have traditionally supported the fortunes of this island of spice.

Although Pemba is surrounded by a fine coral reef and pristine seas, its shores are also flanked with dense mangrove forests, and the best beaches take a bit of finding and getting to. Generally however the beaches here are nowhere near as good as Zanzibar's. However, Pemba has remained virtually unknown to the hordes of beach-bound tourists, with just a couple of luxury lodges, and the island is mainly visited by those who come to dive and snorkel its coral reefs and channels.

Pemba: An overview of where to stay

The most famous accommodation on the island is Fundu Lagoon. Fundu is expensive but it is a great option for people who want to avoid the crowds of Zanzibar. The issue we have always had with Fundu is the quality of the beach which is poor compared with choices elsewhere. The lodge gets around its problem by having boats departing every day for Mesali Island, approximately 30 minutes boat ride away. Another step has been the fairly recent introduction of a great swimming pool - something which has been welcomed by clients and only improves your overall stay. The only other accommodation on the island is Manta Reef, now just called 'The Manta'. Manta has had somewhat of a chequered past and for years could not live up to the expectations of Western clients. A fairly recent change in ownership however has changed our outlook on this hotel. The reality is however that Manta is about as remote a lodge as you can find in East Africa and offers moderate accommodation at a good price. We send few people here but the reports are promising.

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Pemba: Our View

The office here has always been split about what we really think about Pemba. The diving is unquestionably superb but the beaches are poor in comparison to Zanzibar. Yes Pemba's off-shore islands have great beaches, and yes the snorkelling and diving is superb, but are the lodges really worth the money here when you don't have a good beach on your doorstep? Our general consensus, is no!

Pemba: A diverse paradise.

The Pemba Channel shelves off to depths of more than 2,000m between the island and mainland Tanzania, and Pemba is famous for seriously large sea fish, which include barracuda, tuna, shark, and even whales. It is a glorious playground for experienced divers. The waters around Pemba provide some of the most fantastic wall dives and drift dives, fine soft and hard coral formations and open water diving opportunities in East Africa.

Pemba Lodges

We have included all the lodges below ordered by our ranking, and by price. Clicking on any of the links will bring up more information; our detailed view of the lodge, video, photos, key facts etc.

Ranking

- Outstanding

- Very good

- Good

- Average

- Poor

Fundu Lagoon
Fundu is one of Africa's most famous albeit somewhat controversial beach lodges. Without any question Fundu is the best lodge on Pemba but its price compared to elsewhere, and its lack of good quality beach split opinion. Probably the best choice for island accommodation off Zanzibar.

$480pp

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