A brief Overview of Pemba Island
This small island in the sun has grown in popularity as the fortunes of Zanzibar have grown, the reason being that, on Zanzibar there are around 150 hotels, and on Pemba there are around 3! Getting to the lodges is, in itself a mission, and can involve planes, vehicles and boats but this extra travel adds to the remote feel once you arrive!
The main town of Chake Chake sits right in the heart of the main island and is the location for the small airport and around 70% of the island’s population. Life has changed very little in this town and on the island, with the main agricultural export being cloves.
To talk of Pemba and not mention the diving would be heinous as it offers some of the best along the entire east African coastline with a range of levels, from beginner to advanced. One of the best sites that we have heard about (but, unfortunately not yet dived) is a pinnacle dive out in the Pemba channel where it is possible to see schooling hammerheads — don’t worry, the never come in around the island!
Do see our best camps & lodges in Pemba Island picks for 2026/27 on this page.
Best time to visit Pemba Island
A good deal of the reason for coming to this remote corner of the planet is to benefit from the underwater scenery and wildlife. Fortunately, the best diving periods also co-incide with the best times to go on safari on the nearby Tanzanian mainland…between June and November and again from January to March…when the seas are calm and visibility can get up to 30 meters!
Do see our interactive best time to visit Pemba Island guide on this page as well as on our parent guide to zanzibar page for more in-depth information on when to go.
Or call us on +44 1525 840 149. That’s what we’re here for.
Need more help?
As much as AI has changed the way we all approach our lives, there is still no substitute for picking up the phone and having a chat through the options with one of us on USA +1-917-336-2937
This allows us to completely tailor the property choices, costs and itinerary length to your needs…but we also understand that this is not always possible with the busy lives we all lead.
With this in mind, we have also put together a safari finder tool that should help you to narrow down the initial stages at which point we can jump in to “round off the edges” as it were.
Alternatively please feel free to › send us an email with your timings, group size and rough likes and dislikes and we can get the ball rolling.
Get help with a Safari to Pemba Island
As much as AI has changed the way we all approach our lives, there is still no substitute for picking up the phone and having a chat through the options with one of us on USA +1-917-336-2937
This allows us to completely tailor the property choices, costs and itinerary length to your needs…but we also understand that this is not always possible with the busy lives we all lead.
With this in mind, we have also put together a safari finder tool that should help you to narrow down the initial stages at which point we can jump in to “round off the edges” as it were.
Alternatively please feel free to › send us an email with your timings, group size and rough likes and dislikes and we can get the ball rolling.
Where is Pemba Island?
Pemba Island
