Pemba Island is as laid back and remote as you can get, greener and hillier than Zanzibar. Visitors mainly want to get away from it all and explore the awesome world under the waves as the beaches are good, but not as good as on Zanzibar. A diver’s or honeymooner’s paradise, you will have the warm, turquoise, bath-like ocean to yourselves.
There are a few different operators that can take you scuba diving or snorkelling. Discover various diverse wall and reef sites that feature incredible corals and a vast array of marine life, from cleaner shrimps and nudibranchs to rays, turtles and giant wrasses.
If you really want to experience life in a fish tank then book the one-and-only underwater room at the Manta Bay Resort.
Ask at the resorts if you want to try deep sea or local line fishing, as well as other water sports such as wakeboarding, windsurfing or kayaking. A visit to the tiny Misali Island is great for a day of swimming or snorkelling on the reef, there are even some walking trails where you can try your luck at bird-spotting.
If you have had enough water-based fun, stroll through Ngezi Forest Reserve. Keep a sharp eye out for animals such as the Pemba scops owls, the Pemba flying fox, vervet and red colobus monkeys amidst the canopy and beautiful orchids amongst the forest floor. The flying foxes can also be found at Kidike.
Pemba Island also has several ruins that are worth checking out, including Ras Mkumbuu and the Pujini ruins. And like on Zanzibar, you can take a spice tour here to learn everything about the local spices, one of them being the humble clove. You might have already spotted hundreds of the drying mats for this spice alongside the roads when you arrived.
Alternatively, with the gorgeous scenery and soothing sounds of nature you can just relax and read a book.