The green
island the world forgot

if unguja (the main zanzibar) sees most of the archipelago's tourists, pemba sees almost none. the northern island — separated from unguja by a 50-km channel of deep water — has kept an undeveloped character the main island lost decades ago. most travellers have never heard of it. most operators leave it out. we think that's a mistake.

pemba is greener than unguja (it gets more rain), hillier (it's volcanic), and far more agricultural. cloves grow everywhere — pemba was once the world's largest producer, supplying 80% of global cloves at its peak. the interior is tropical forest dotted with spice plantations, traditional swahili villages, and the odd ancient ruin. the coast is a run of mangroves, deep inlets, and small white-sand beaches reachable mostly by boat.

the diving is exceptional. the pemba channel — the deep water between pemba and the mainland — drives nutrient-rich upwellings that feed extraordinary marine life. wall dives drop into the blue with 30–40 metre visibility, big pelagics are common, and the reefs are among the densest in east africa. for divers, pemba is the most rewarding island in the whole archipelago.