Pemba Island
Pemba Island in Tanzania, sister of Zanzibar, is hidden in the heart of Tanzania safaris and tours paradise. You Pemba is a secret masterpiece that is full of forests, mangrove swamps, secret beaches, lagoons and tidal sandbanks. It is covered with the debris of mosques and tombs left as a result of the Arab rule over the island in the 17th century. Pemba has a lot to do as far as being unexploited by the traveller is concerned, and this will make the island so attractive. Pemba is relatively shadowed because of its neighbour, Unguja, yet Pemba is hillier and greener.
Top Attractions
Ngezi Forest Reserve
The mother of all Old Ngezi Forest Reserve is hidden in the heart of Pemba, a spiritual retreat of titanic trees, exotic birds and mist caressed under-story. Walk amongst mahogany and strangler figs, giant trees, along with exotic sounds of birds such as the Pemba scops owl and olive pigeon. You can hike at an early hour (approximately 6 am). It provides you with views of skittish duikers and greens as well as dew-wet clearings. The dense bush forms luscious rays of light, and your camera should be at the ready; this picture is a great travel photo.
Chake Chake Town
The busy port town of Chake Chake on the island of Pemba is overflowing with spice stores, fish booths, and handicraft stalls. Stroll narrow streets where spices are weighed in old-fashioned scales, and fishermen bring in brightly-colored catches in dhows of wood. The visit to the old dhow docks can serve as an illustration of everyday trade, bright and real, as well as busy. Do not also fail to attend the Friday services at the mosque and the small yet lovable Friday market where natives sell homemade mats, coconut oil, and a variety of fruits according to season.
Matemwe Beach and Vumawimbi Rock Pool-Hidden Paradise
Matemwe Beach is a relaxing length of pure, untainted sand that is shielded by casuarinas and flourishes on the eastern edge of Pemba. During low tide, there is a five‑minute walk offered to Vumawimbi, the natural rock pool that is sheltered by coral cliffs. It is the ideal clandestine swimming hole-clear turquoise water, wallflower reef fish and glimpses across the open ocean. Take a picnic lunch of Chake Chake and enjoy lunch by the pool just as you would in the middle of waves and coconut husk rustling above your head.
The Scuba and Snorkelling Wonderland in Pemba Island
The submarine world of Pemba is the stuff of legends about the fans of Tanzania safari and marine explorations. The island also has coral reefs, which are very beautiful and are inhabited by sea turtles, reef sharks and dolphins. To novices, the Kiwengwa dive centre provides accompanied swims in sparkling coral gardens. The certified divers can cross over to Misali Island Marine Conservation Area, which is just an easy boat ride, and discover walls covered with soft corals and bright sponges and some local wildlife. Make preparations to dive or snorkel early to experience the most alive reef, and the very best-lit reef, too.
Misali Island- Honesty in Preservation
Book a day cruise to the best marine conservation site in Pemba, Misali Island. Here, your guide will talk about coral restoration and the protections for fish spawning. View corals being uprooted in glass-clear shallows, swim through moray eels, colourful wrasse and sea cucumber. You can also see secure dunes at the beachside with breeding turtles, tour activities well-scheduled to avoid the breeding seasons. It is an emotional plunge into the conservation and beauty of nature.
Ras Mkumbuu
The tip of Pemba by itself is called Ras Mkumbuu, a shadowy figure of a man, inhabited by ruins hundreds of years old, part of them going back to as early as the 9th century. Swahili trading history can be heard in the stone buildings which sit alongside the tidal flats, which welcome thousands of passage birds in winter. Take a ride to a memorable sunset: coral hills are gradually baking into purple dusk, the outline of the centuries-old trade centres reminding you of the horizon.
Home -Stay Spice Tours.
Pemba is deeply connected through the smell of clove, nutmeg and cardamom. Tanzania tours also take a local tour of homesteads through shady tracks snaking through orchards of spices, where you will taste the freshly grown cloves right off the tree and sample vanilla which has been warmed by the sun. You will be in a position to witness directly the communities’ planting, harvesting and processing of these scented treasures. Others even have cooking lessons and show you how to use spices in fresh fish marinades and tropical cocktails.
Culture and history of the area
Swahili Culture
The history of Pemba takes place against the background of Swahili, Arab, and Portuguese interaction. A bright trade history is identified by Mojasiri-style stone dwellings, elaborate coral-stone mosques and centuries-old tombstones. The oral traditions report dhow caravans reaching with Persian glass beads, ivory and slaves as early as the 9th century CE. Nowadays, the taarab music, which originated as a fusion of Arabic, African and Indian music, sounds in villages as an echo of this multilayered history.
The tastes and feel of the festival.
In case you arrive during Maulid (birthday of Prophet Muhammad) or Eid holidays, you will be introduced to the colourful processions (featuring candy and biscuit-filled local popping candy), stalls with sweet mandazi (fried dough) and feasts held by communities. Fishermen displaying their sand-drying fish and shellfish. Animal markets, a representation of the coastal life of Pemba, are on Thursdays and Fridays.
Traditions and craft of Fishing
There are wooden dhows that are run by local fishermen with classic sails (lateen rig) and an early morning cast with a net and a haul of small pelagic fish, lobsters or octopus. Making dhows, benches and masks are also produced in the local woodcarving shops just out of recycled driftwood and coconut husks. Under the supervision of artisans, you may watch as net-spindles are carved, or willingly pay to have a personalised dhow replica, which will never be forgotten and the story to bring back home.
Travel Tips
When to Go
The high season in Pemba runs through the months of May through October; it is the cooler season (25 – 28 °C), with little rainfall, good visibility for dives, and the season of migration of sea life. Nevertheless, this is also the time when Tanzania tours are popular. To reduce the price by a few dollars, and enjoy rain-green scenery, book in late November through mid-December: showers at sunrise, and clear afternoons and tons of visibility to see in the diving. Avoid March-April, which is the long rains, when some of the roads are hard to use and excursions are not reliable.
How to Go and Commute
Flights: Pemba to Dar es Salaam- a twenty-minute feeder flight on either Coastal Aviation or Regional Air. Booking is recommended 6 weeks (and at least) in June-September.
Ferry Zanzibar uses a beautiful dhow ferry from the Zanzibar ferry terminal to arrive in 3 hours. Do not forget to enjoy the fishermen off the ship relaxing with their nets; they are pretty gorgeous.
Conclusion
Pemba Island is not only an undiscovered beach but a congregation of forgotten spice routes, veiled forests and silent coral cathedrals. The dawn is greeted here by the songs of fishermen, and the sunset is followed by profiles marked by memory. It is some kind of a soul‑cleaning, mind‑expansive escape and what can be called an invitation to veritable tour and travel insulation, off the beaten track.
