Zanzibar-Pemba

From Chumbe Island we headed back to the airport to head to the small island of Pemba.  Pemba is a beautiful little island just to the north of the main island.  The best part of the island is how little has changed as the result of introduction of tourism.  Currently there are only two major resorts on the island in comparison to the hundreds on the main island.  The diving is absolutely spectacular due to little activity on the reef and the locals do not see the tourists as money source. 


Our small plane to Pemba. Flying matatu style!

After taking what can only be described as an airplane version of a matatu, we arrived at the small airport of Pemba.  From there we headed north on through the capital city of Chaka Chaka to the northern tip of the island.  What never ceased to amaze me throughout our stay in Zanzibar was the quality of the roads.  You have probably been in Africa too long when you are shocked to be driving on a tarmac road with lines!  The drive was beautiful especially as we weaved our way through the Ngozi forest, a small piece of rain forest still protected. 

First sunset on Pemba

I can't say enough about our hotel.  We stayed at the gorgeous Manta Resort and never felt anything but welcomed.  The hotel was stationed on top of a bluff looking down into the crystal clear swimming pool and turquoise water.  Everyday we were treated with a free spa treatment (massages, pedicures and manicures, oh my!) and delicious fresh sea food.  It was by far the best service and facility that we stayed at the entire trip.


Enjoying some fresh coconut milk.

Most of our days were spent on the beach in Pemba.  We quickly claimed our chairs and hammock (yes hammock) and pulled out the kindles.  When the heat got to be too much we ran for the ocean and enjoyed the cooling high tide.  The white sand was gorgeous and made for some nice walks on the beach.  One day we were also able to take out a kayak out to two small islandetes and Josh did a bit of snorkeling off the boat.  There wasn't many fish but there was a fun tunnel that he was able to swim through.

Besides lazing around we did managed to get in a few dives.  I went down four times while Josh ventured out for a night dive on top of the four.  We were treated to amazing coral gardens and lots of colorful reef fish.  We also saw a sea turtle and a lone dolphin from the dive boat.  It was great to get back in the water and test out my diving skills.  I had a few mishaps with an accidental accent and a soapy mask but it was good to get my feet wet again, so to speak :) 

The last day on the island we decided to tour the island as you cannot dive before flying.  We hired a driver/tour guide and set off.  Our first stop was the northern ruins.  Two mosques and one grave site still remain of an old Arab village.  The story goes that the second wife of the village elder got jealous of the time he was spending with the first wife walking to the mosque, which was closer to the first wife's home.  The second wife built another mosque so that he could be closer to her when he went to pray.  The funny thing is both of the mosques are still the same distance away from the second wife's house! 



Josh practices his call to prayer.

From there we went to the fish market in Tombe.  Fish munglers from all over the island come to this market each day to bid on the catch of the day.  On one hand it was really neat to see the large colorful fish come in off the boats but on the other hand it was a little sad after coming off of some amazing diving.  I wanted to see them live underwater!  We also enjoyed some local jack fruit and watching the colorful sails come into port.

Red snapper at the fish market

A giant Napoleen Wrasp

Our last stop on our day was to see the Pemba flying fox.  The flying fox is not really a fox but a large fruit bat that hangs most of the day in the large coconut trees around the island.  We were able to get a few photos of the hundreds of bats before heading back to the hotel for the night.

That night was amazing as the staff of the hotel set up a candlelit dinner on the beach.  We feasted on a seafood platter filled with lobster, tuna, calamari, prawns, salad, rice, baked potatoes and dinner rolls.  I feel like we barely made a dent in it!  The Manta Resort was one of the most beautiful resorts I have ever stayed at.  Not only was the food amazing but the service and overall feel was great.  It was sad to leave but we were also looking forward to more time on the beach and another three days of great diving!  On to Matemwe!



Dinner on the beach.