Pemba Island

Pemba lies north of Zanzibar's main island and could hardly be less like it: hilly, densely green, thickly planted with clove trees whose scent hangs over the roads at harvest, and almost untouched by mass tourism, with a handful of lodges rather than a resort strip. Its coast is deeply indented with mangrove creeks and small islands, and the reason divers come is what happens just offshore, where the seabed falls away into the Pemba Channel in steep walls and drop-offs washed by strong currents, giving some of the most dramatic diving in the Indian Ocean, with big fish, superb soft corals and visibility that regularly runs far beyond what the shallow reefs elsewhere offer. On land there are ruins of old Swahili settlements, forest reserves with flying foxes and the endemic Pemba scops owl, and a rural rhythm that has barely changed.

Highlights

• Wall diving - the steep drop-offs and currents of the Pemba Channel.
• The clove plantations - the hills and the scent at harvest time.
• Ngezi forest - the reserve with flying foxes and the endemic Pemba scops owl.
• Mangrove creeks and islets - the indented coast, explored by dhow.

When to go

June to October and December to February are the dry, clear windows and the best for diving; the long rains around April and May close many places. The clove harvest, roughly mid-year, fills the air and the drying yards. Ferries are weather-dependent; flying is more reliable.

What to expect

Pemba is quiet to the point of sleepy and there is very little to do beyond diving, walking and dhow trips, which is the point but disappoints those wanting the beach-bar scene of Zanzibar. The diving is current-swept and suits experienced divers rather than beginners. Roads are poor, lodges few and often remote, and the ferry crossing can be rough. Islanders are conservative, so modest dress away from the beach matters.

Nearby

Zanzibar's Stone Town and beaches lie south; Tanga on the mainland is across the channel.

Key facts