Surreal vibrant turquoise water. Empty beaches. Lively reefs for scuba diving.

Pemba Island is a Tanzanian island forming part of the Zanzibar Archipelago, lying within the Swahili Coast in the Indian Ocean.

FOOD

Fresh island eats with a smile. Private dinner on a secluded sandbank in the middle of the cerulean ocean

FUN

Scuba Diving with nudibranchs, frogfish, leaf fish, mantis shrimp.

TRAVEL

Pemba Island (part of the Zanzibar Archipelago)

WHAT WE DID: Pemba Island

Scuba Diving with Afro Divers

Loved diving here! Thriving sea life and surface intervals on secluded beaches!

We dove 4 days- 2 dives each day- and saw so much on every dive! The marine life and hard corals there are thriving and incredibly diverse!

Fun new critters for us were:

nudibranchs on every dive
spanish dancer
leaf fish,
frog fish
electric ray
mantis shrimp (one was fully out and about)!

Also saw huge schools of sardines shimmering in the sunlight, white-spotted and yellow boxfish, puffer, lionfish of all shapes and sizes (they are not invasive here!), morays (on one dive we saw three on one coral head!), titan triggerfish, shrimps, electric rays, scorpionfish, garden eels, clownfish, anemones, clams, christmas tree and flower worms, moorish idols, butterfly fish, regal angelfish, and so much more!

Every surface interval was on a stunning deserted beach with crepes, fresh fruit, hot ginger tea, and water.

Private dinner on a secluded sandbank

We celebrated our anniversary with a Sandbank Vow Renewal Dinner Trip! And WOW was it beyond words romantic and AMAZING!!

We strolled along the fine delicate sand, wading in and out of azul water just amazed that we were basically standing in the middle of the ocean.

While we were walking and swimming, our guides unloaded the boat and to our amazement created a romantic ethereal dinner gazebo using only the palm branches and wood they brought!

They also grilled fish on the sandbar, and served us a fresh dinner picnic!

Highly highly recommend a visit to the sandbar! It was truly gorgeous and amazing to stand there and renew our vows to each other surrounded by the crystal turquoise water as the bright sun blazed orange and pink on its descent. What a way to celebrate!!

MORE INFO and PICS HERE

Relaxing

Watched the sun set over the Indian ocean every night at happy hour

Massages at Pemba Paradise

Hung out in the pool to cool off

The massage bed was covered with hibiscus flowers, and she just brushed them lightly to the floor before I laid down. Great relaxing massage and peaceful! ambiance!

WHAT WE ATE: Pemba Island

Crepes (they call them “pancakes”) every morning
Every meal had a fish catch of the day option, as well as a vegetarian or chicken option
Our favorites:

mango passionfruit juice
fresh mango mango, pineapple, and watermelon

Room at Pemba Paradise Beach Resort - HappyFoodFunTravel©2025

WHERE WE STAYED: Pemba Island

Pemba Paradise Beach Resort

After an hour drive from the airport, we were met with warm hand towels perfumed with native spices of cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, and a lovely fresh-squeezed juice.
Very safe! The property is gated with a guard on duty, and a security guard wandering the property at night.
Very secluded! We were two of only eight guests there during our stay. The property does have 21 suites so it could have been busier, there were many spaces to find privacy- the pool, the beachfront bar area, and a separate beachfront deck area overlooking the ocean. During the day, a few locals wandered by the beach collecting seaweed, but no one ever approached us.
Every evening turn down service included spraying the room with bug repellent (you can opt out of this if you want) and tucking in the mosquito net. The only bugs we ever saw were a few pesky flies but we were there early February in a drier season. And we did put on DEET repellent every evening just to be safe.
A/C worked great! Like in Mafia it beeps off occasionally for 30 seconds or so (switching generators?), and may awaken you in the middle of the night.
Bushbabies visited us overnight. Luckily the A/C beep awakened us and we saw them! And one night we saw a flying fox!
Can hear Muslim call to prayer at sunset

Afro Divers Lodge

They were building this brand new lodge while we were there. It looked fabulous! And how convenient to roll out of bed and into the dive boat!
Ten rooms all with AC and oceanfront views.
Beachfront, pool, A/C in rooms, full-service restaurant and bar
Also as I mentioned in our Tanzania blog, Afro Divers helped us book our incredible Tanzania safari and our inter-island flights. So reach out to them! You will get a great deal combining your dive trip with a safari!

HOW TO GET AROUND

Most hotels offer or include transportation to the airport so definitely take them up on that. Pemba’s airport is tiny. And I think the hour drive to and from the airport was one of my favorite experiences. We got to see all the little villages, throngs of kids walking to/from school, and hear all about the culture and island from a local.

Afro Divers also provided transport to/from Pemba Paradise to their dive shop. Often a van, and once a hilariously slow ride on the back of a motorbike taxi through the sandy roads.

Most locals walk, pack into the crowded open buses (like a big van), or hire a motorbike taxi. And some still use carts and oxen or cows.

WHAT SURPRISED US

Pemba airport is small but has good wifi, smells like jasmine, and has AC in the departure lounge. You can only check in 60 min before your flight so no sense getting there early- you’ll just have to wait outside. Women here wear a chador- even women working at the airport.

Pemba was a bountiful island full of fruits, vegetables, spices and more. Both kids and adults walking along the road were usually eating a fresh mango or banana they had plucked from a tree. We saw mangoes, red and elephant bananas, limes, oranges, tomatoes, coffee, and spice trees of cardamom, cinnamon, cloves all growing wild! We also saw tons of rice fields that are naturally flooded by heavy rain during the rainy season. Locals also make salt with water from the ocean, and 80% of women make extra money from seaweed farming.

Meals were simple, but always had fresh fruits and so many fresh vegetables. Many islands we’ve visited in the past were lacking vegetables so this was quite a surprise. Also, most meals took 30-45 minutes to arrive once we ordered. Fresh cooking!

There were so many kids in the villages walking to/from school in their uniforms. From kids that didn’t look old enough for preschool to teenagers. We were told that most men have one family with ten kids and two to three wives.

Only traffic jams are chickens

English is spoken but is more rough and a bit harder to understand.

We loved that they say “You’re welcome for breakfast” or “You’re welcome for dinner” as their greeting.
They actually say Hakuna Matata!

ALSO REMEMBER VERY IMPORTANT

You must purchase Zanzibar travel insurance online before you arrive
- Once you enter the airport, they will ask to see verification before they even let you in the airport. We printed it out just in case our phones weren’t working.
- Find more info here: https://tz.usembassy.gov/alert-mandatory-insurance-required-for-travel-to-zanzibar-september-25-2024/

WHAT TO PACK

NEEDED

Malaria Prevention.
- Most of our hotels told us we didn’t need it, but we decided to take it just in case. Check with your physician or a travel doctor on the best malaria preventative to take. Also check current vaccine guidelines here: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/traveler/none/tanzania

Reef Safe Sunscreen.
- We use both Coral Safe (full size, travel size, or face stick), and Sea2Stream. Both of these don’t use ingredients that may harm the reef, contain nano particles, and are also certified by EWG.
- Many sunscreens say they are reef safe but are not! Make sure they do not contain any ingredients listed here at SavetheReef.
DEET bug repellant.
- These OFF! Wipes are easy to pack and apply and have 25% DEET. If you need something stronger, try Ben’s DEET pump spray with 98% DEET in 3.4 oz travel size.
Sunglasses.
- We love Goodr Sunglasses! These block the sun so with polarized lenses, around $25, and this style universally looks good on everyone! Check out the Swedish Meatball Hangover (yellow), Flamingos On A Booze Cruise (pink), Electric Dinotopia Carnival (light teal), or Vincent's Absinthe Night Terrors (black with green lens).
Visor or Hat.
- We love the Sprints brand! We use both the Visors and Hats for trail running, and throw them in the wash at least once a week. They come in super cute prints like donuts, googly-eyed bananas, bright pink flamingos, flying pigs, beach themes and many more.
DO NOT BRING plastic bags!
- Plastic bags are not allowed in Tanzania. Bring everything in reusable bags like these. Lerine 20 Pack Reusable Bags Silicone Dishwasher Safe. And they are easy to hand wash or even throw in the top shelf of your dishwasher!

CONSIDER

Travel Jewelry Organizer Case. This one is very compact with a long buckled band for your rings, an earrings panel, a buckled strap to keep necklaces separated, a see-through zip pouch, and long zip pocket. Easy to find what you need!
Crossbody Trendy Fanny Pack. Great smaller size bag with three separate zippered compartments. And it comes in many different colors! This was a perfect size to hold our room keys, a credit card, cash, sunscreen, lip balm, and a few protein bars.
Cell Phone Screen Protector + Camera Lens Covers. We always bring extra in case we crack one. These are so easy to apply and come in a 2-pack!
Compression Packing Cubes. We use these from Bagsmart. They are machine washable (always nice after you bring home all your dirty clothes!), zippers are very durable, and they come in a variety of colors. Large for jackets, sweaters, and trousers, Medium for shirts, and blouses, Small for underwear, drawstring can be used as a laundry bag to separate your dirty/wet clothes or shoes.
Reading glasses! LOL Some of us can’t read the fine print, and these very inexpensive ones come in handy. 3-Pack Blue Light Blocking Reading Glasses