Pemba Island is the northernmost island in the Zanzibar archipelago. Around Pemba are many desert islands and some of the best scuba diving in the Indian Ocean, with visibility that is unparalleled. Coral gardens, colorful sponges and sea fans are all found in the underwater haven. The city of Chake Chake, the main population center on Pemba, is a popular base for scuba divers. Pemba is less visited than Zanzibar and as a result has a more laidback atmosphere. The island is hilly with deep valleys and it has become popular with mountain bikers who are drawn to the 1,000-meter peaks. Just offshore, one spot not to miss is Misali Island Beach. This incredible white-sand beach is on an uninhabited tropical island.

Pemba is also famous for its rich fishing grounds. Between the island and the mainland there is the deep 50 kilometer wide Pemba Channel, which is one of the most profitable fishing grounds for game fishing on the Swahili Coast. Pemba is a stunning beautiful as it is quiet with some of the most pristine beaches you’ll ever see. … Having visited Mafia Island and Zanzibar, I would say Pemba is somewhere in between. Pemba is a very safe destination where visitors will be immediately drawn into the easy-going and relaxed nature of the local people. Beaches in Pemba are devoid of tourists, and thereby devoid of the beachboys that have become synonymous with Zanzibar. You won’t see much here besides the big smiles of the local Pemba people working on their seaweed farms.