SCUBA DIVING HOLIDAYS IN PEMBA ISLAND, TANZANIA

Pemba Island belongs to the Zanzibar archipelago and lays about 40 miles north of Zanzibar Island .

With its 110 km of coral reefs (of which 40 still unexplored), steep sea walls covered in untouched corals, warm and clear waters populated by shoals of dolphins, gigantic Napoleon fish, groupers, sea eagles and all sort of pelagic fish, and deserted white sand beach where turtles lay their eggs, Pemba Island is the best site in East Africa for diving, snorkelling, kiting and surfing.

This is the land which inspired the tales of Sinbad the sailor and his “One Thousand and One Night” book.

Unlike Zanzibar , which is flat and sandy, Pemba 's terrain is hilly, fertile and heavily vegetated. The early Arab sailors called it 'Al Huthera', meaning 'The Green Island'. Today more cloves are grown on Pemba than on Zanzibar . During the rule of the Sultans, it was Pemba , with its extensive clove plantations and agricultural base, that provided the economic foundation for the archipelago's dominance.
Today, earnings from the clove crop are supported by other agricultural products, cattle raising, and by fishing, which is an important source of livelihood. Pemba is also renowned for its voodoo and traditional healers. Even today, people come from throughout East Africa seeking cures or to learn the skills of the art from practioners on Pemba .

In addition to its rich history and traditions, Pemba is of interest for its wealth of natural resources ranging from beaches to mangrove ecosystems to natural forests. The coral reefs surrounding the island protect a multitude of marine species and offer some of the best diving in the world. While much of the coast is lined with mangroves, there are a few amazing stretches of shoreline and enough attractive offshore islands with pure, clean beaches and interesting bird-life to keep you busy for quite a while.

MANTA REEF LODGE

Manta Reef Lodge is an island hideway that will appeal to sea safari fans, divers, honeymooners, fisherman, and beach lovers alike. The property and rooms are located directly overlooking the beach, with the original tropical forest on the high tide limit, home to birds, monkeys and bush babis.This shell strewn pristine beach captures the brilliant sunsets day after day, This is a relaxing lodge, with plenty of personal space. The staff try to make you feel at home, in an informal, yet effecient atmosphere. A bit like your home away from home.The local staff are extremely friendly and will go out of their way to attend to your requests, and show you around the local area.

The lodge is on the Ras Kigomasha peninsula, just north of the Ngezi forest, and reached from either Chake Chake airport or Mkoani Port by Taxi. The island is also accessible via the mainland by boats from Tanga in Tanzania and Shimoni in Kenya through the port of Wete.
With accomodation for a maximum of 25/30 people in 14 bungalows, garden bungalows, sea front bungalows and sea front villas, the property offers an exclusice touch set away from the crowds, in a stunning hideaway.

The sea front bungalows are perched on timber platforms , directly open to the ocean in the front., with stunning views of the sea. Each bungalow is and enormous 50 square meters, with large beds, mosquito nets, verandah couch, chairs and en suite a bathroom. Manta Reef Lodge, although not luxurious offers good value spatious accommodation in a beautiful part of Pemba Island.

Facilities: Restaurant, SPA, watersports.
Diving Centre: One Earth Diving is a PADI dive centre, they offer daily boat dives for licensed divers and a completa range of diving courses.

THE DIVING IN THE AREA

Pemba is a volcanic island surrounded with deep oceanic channels crowded with big oceanic fishes. There are vertical sea-walls, warm and transparent water, you can see 40 meters deep from the surface, coloured and perfect corals (untouched by the El Nino) big Groupers, Napoleons fishes, Manta-rey, hammerhead Sharks, etc. Pemba is one of the best places to dive in all oriental Africa.

On the Western side of the island, there are more or less ten "top" places to dive, on the Southern side four. On the Eastern side, there are 50 km. of beautiful Coral-Reef (40 km. are still unexplored.). This incredible side is for expert divers, the visibility is around 50 meters. Hammerhead sharks have often been sighted as well as oceanic whitetip and blacktip sharks that live in these waters. Thirty minutes from the Resort there is a 70 meters long wreck lying on the white sand of the Ocean 12 meters down, between two Coral-Reefs 80 meters from each other. They can also organize night-diving groups to Misali island, and if you are well trained, you can dive even four time per day.

OUR OPINION

This is the perfect holiday for those we are keen to leave behind some of the comforts typical of our “westernised” lifestyle in order to enjoy the silence and calm, vast places, breathtaking nature and spectacularly beautiful sea of an exclusive destination which is entirely unspoilt by tourism.

WHAT TO DO NEXT?