Pemba Island — 67 km north of Zanzibar, 988 sq km of steep, hilly terrain covered in clove and coconut plantations — is the Indian Ocean island that Zanzibar’s growing tourist crowds have not yet reached. Where Zanzibar’s Stone Town and Nungwi beach have developed substantial tourism infrastructure (20+ major hotels, ferry terminals handling 2,000+ daily visitors, package holiday trade from Europe), Pemba receives approximately 3,000 tourists per year total — a fraction of Zanzibar’s number, and a fraction that has left the island’s diving environment in an extraordinary state of preservation. The Pemba Channel wall diving (the sheer underwater cliff that drops from 10–20 m depths to over 1,000 m on the channel’s west side) is rated by dive operators as consistently in the top 5 dive destinations in Africa — the wall’s density of soft corals (in conditions where they are typically absent from Kenya and mainland Tanzania sites), the large pelagic (open ocean) fish species that use the wall as a hunting ground, and the absence of the dive-boat crowd that follows the Zanzibar reef sites creates an encounter quality that is genuinely rare. This guide covers Pemba for 2025 divers and independent travellers.
Diving: The Pemba Channel Wall
The Pemba Channel wall (the sheer drop-off along the island’s western coast) is characterised by: extraordinary soft coral density (gorgonian fans up to 2 m in diameter at 30–40 m depth — these require very specific current and nutrient conditions that the Pemba Channel provides in ideal combination), large pelagic fish (barracuda schools of 500+, big eye trevally, yellowfin tuna passing the wall face, and occasional hammerhead shark in the deeper sections), and a resident turtle population that uses the wall’s hard coral sections as a cleaning station. The Mesali Island Marine Reserve (10 km southwest of Chake Chake, Pemba’s main town) has the island’s most accessible shallow reef — excellent for snorkelling and introductory diving (max 12 m depth). Dive operators: Pemba Dive and Swahili Divers are the two main PADI-certified operations. Dive rates 2025: USD $50–60/dive, USD $90–110 for 2 dives with equipment. Open Water certification course: USD $350–400.
Cloves and Agriculture
Pemba produces approximately 80% of Tanzania’s clove crop (Zanzibar and Pemba combined once produced 90% of the world’s cloves — now the world market is more diverse but the islands remain significant producers). The clove plantations cover approximately 45% of Pemba’s land area — the distinctive angular clove tree (Syzygium aromaticum, reaching 10–15 m height) with its characteristic red new growth and the scent of clove oil permeating the plantation air in the harvest season (September–December) creates an agricultural landscape that is as characteristically Indian Ocean as the reef below. Clove plantation walk: available from most Pemba accommodation, 2–3 hours — visiting a working plantation, observing the harvesting technique (hand-picking the buds before they open), and the drying process (green buds dried on reed mats for 3–5 days, turning to the familiar dark brown clove). No entry fee, but a contribution to the plantation family (USD $5–10 per group) is expected.
Getting There and Accommodation
- From Zanzibar by ferry: Azam Marine runs a fast ferry Zanzibar-Pemba (Wete port) approximately 4–5 times weekly, 2.5–3 hours, USD $35–45 one-way. Book 24 hours in advance.
- From Zanzibar by air: Coastal Aviation charters operate Zanzibar-Pemba on request (20 minutes, USD $80–100 one-way per seat, minimum 3 passengers).
- Manta Resort: USD $250–450/night per person full-board. The premium Pemba accommodation, wooden bandas on a private cove with house reef diving. Floating underwater room available (USD $900+/night — a suite floating 4 m below the surface).
- Pemba Paradise: USD $80–150/night. Mid-range dive-focused accommodation at Chake Chake Bay.
