Pemba Island

Pemba Island, known as "Al Jazeera Al Khadra" (The Green Island), is the wilder, more mysterious sister island of Zanzibar. Covered in dense tropical forest and surrounded by some of the most pristine coral reefs in the Indian Ocean, Pemba offers an authentic island experience far from the tourist trail.

The diving around Pemba is considered among the best in the world. Dramatic underwater walls plunge from 1 meter to over 50 meters, covered in hard and soft corals and teeming with pelagic fish, rays, and occasional hammerhead sharks. The Misali Island reef alone hosts over 300 species of fish and 40 genera of coral.

Onshore, the island's rolling hills are carpeted with clove plantations - Pemba produces over 70% of Zanzibar's cloves - and the air is thick with their sweet, warm fragrance. Visit ancient ruins, explore mangrove-lined channels by kayak, and experience genuine Swahili hospitality.