6-Day Pemba Island

Your journey on Pemba Island starts at Pemba Island Airport, where you will be welcomed and taken on a 30-minute private transfer to a high-end beach resort that is located in Chake Chake, the main town of Pemba Island. Once in your beautifully appointed villa, complete with sea views and a private deck, you will be met for a welcome cocktail and a briefing with your guide, walking you through the island’s beaches, marine destinations, and cultural pursuits. The calm vibe of Chake Chake makes it a place you will want to wind down. Take a walk along the beach just outside the town centre, dip your feet in the warm Indian Ocean, or explore the market at the centre of town, where you will come across fresh spices and local crafts. Start your journey (here, it is worth the trip) with a candlelit dinner at the resort's seafood restaurant overlooking the ocean, with fresh fish and grilled lobster, and Swahili coconut curry for good measure. Relax in your villa for the night, imagining the beaches and culture awaiting you on Pemba Island. This day also allows you to hit the ground running, rested and ready for everything the island has to offer, building excitement for the days to come and preparing the mind and body for your life-changing island experience.

Activities: Airport transfer, welcome briefing, beach relaxation, and romantic dinner

Accommodation: Beach Resort in Chake Chake

Meals: Dinner

Enjoy an opulent breakfast filled with fresh tropical fruits and Swahili pastries before heading out on a full-day guided walking tour of Chake Chake, Pemba’s administrative centre. Discover the town with its unique Swahili architecture and visit the Pemba Museum to learn about the island’s clove trade history and Arab influences, and make a stop at the local market to explore spices such as cloves and cinnamon. Learn from your guide about the island’s unique cultural mix of African, Arab, and Portuguese elements. Here at a local restaurant, indulge in a private lunch over a shared platter of Pemba delicacies, including pilau rice and fresh fish. Take the afternoon to visit a nearby Swahili village where you will meet the residents, see everything from basket weaving to boat-building, and join a cooking demonstration. Head back to your beach resort for an evening at leisure, maybe with a spa treatment with local spices. Enjoy a culinary feast at the resort with gourmet meals, including octopus curry, as you relive the cultural moments of the day. This day will take you to the history of Chake Chake and make you closer to the history of Pemba Island.

Activities: Guided Chake Chake tour, museum visit, market exploration, village visit, cooking demonstration, spa treatment

Accommodation: Beach Resort in Chake Chake

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

After breakfast, take a 1.5-hour private transfer from Chake Chake to head up to the north coast, famous for its colourful beaches such as Vumawimbi and Wete. Arrive at an incredible beach resort in Wete, where your villa offers sweeping ocean views and a private deck. Laze on the beach on the soft white sand, lounge under the palms, or swim in the warm Indian Ocean during the morning. Indulge in fresh seafood and tropical fruits on a private beach picnic lunch, where you can take the time to enjoy each moment of silence. Spend the afternoon strolling along the beach, investigating tidal pools for crabs and starfish, or in your villa reading a book. Optional activities include a guided tour to spot Pemba’s endemic species, such as the Pemba scops owl. Enjoy a sunset beverage from the resort’s beachfront bar, and later a candlelit dinner on the beach, complete with grilled prawns and salads sprinkled with tropical flavours. It serves that perfect part exploration, part relaxation, moving you from the north coast with vibrant shores.

Activities: Beach relaxation, beach picnic, optional birdwatching, sunset cocktail

Accommodation: Beach Resort in Wete

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

After breakfast, take a private boat to the nearby Pemba Channel, over 20 minutes from your resort, and snorkel crystal-clear waters with coral reefs filled with hundreds of tropical fish, sea turtles, and exotic, colorful marine life. Led by your certified marine guide – explore the ecosystem of the channel while learning about local marine life and conservation initiatives, all in safety and comfort. Snacks on board at mid-morning with a backdrop of the sea. Go back to the resort for a relaxing lunch by the pool served with fresh salads and Swahili cuisine. We can spend the afternoon with wipes—bathe in the sun on the shore, read in a hammock, or walk along the coast, collecting shells and crabs. Incredible optional experiences consist of an expedition of calm waters with stand-up paddleboarding. Enjoy sunset cocktails at the resort's bar and the menu of Swahili and international dishes as served in your villa or terrace, complemented by waves crashing as the most romantic background as you enjoy dinner directly sourced from and prepared by local vendors. Marine adventure and beach relaxation on this day, immersing you even more deeply in the underwater world around Pemba Island.

Activities: Snorkeling in Pemba Channel, beach relaxation, optional paddleboarding, private villa dinner

Accommodation: Beach Resort in Wete

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Have a casual breakfast followed by a 1-hour morning walk with a guided tour in Ngezi Forest Reserve, the largest forest of Pemba, with millions of grass roots. Get lost in the rainforest trails, looking for endemic species like the Pemba flying fox and Pemba scops owl, led by a local expert who provides details on the forest conservation and medicinal plants of the area. Head into the forest, where you will be able to enjoy the sounds of nature with a picnic-style lunch, staple local fruit, and sandwiches. In the afternoon, spend a half-day with the locals at a nearby Swahili village, where you will discover everything from clove farming to traditional cooking and handicrafts such as basket weaving, where you'll have the chance to get hands-on too. Relax back at the resort (ocean swim, pool lounge). Take a sunset dhow cruise with champagne, then a romantic candlelit dinner with grilled lobster and tropical desserts at your resort’s seaside dining room. A day of nature, culture, and relaxation that we at Pemba Island on the north coast will always remember.

Activities: Ngezi Forest tour, village visit, picnic lunch, sunset dhow cruise

Accommodation: Beach Resort in Wete

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Have one last relaxed breakfast in your villa overlooking Wete Beach — the sun, the smell of the ocean air. Take the morning off to chill at the resort — go for a dip in the ocean, shop in the gift store for mementos such as a spice basket(s) or hand-carved trinkets, or enjoy a final couples massage at the spa. Think back to your time on Pemba Island, from snorkeling in marine channels to visiting cultural villages. Savor a final lunch overlooking the beach at the resort’s casual restaurant, which has a menu of Swahili-influenced options — coconut-crusted fish, anyone? Private transfer to Pemba Island Airport for departure flight or to a lodge if extending your stay. As such, this day serves as an easy transition back into normal life, allowing enough time to reflect on all of the magical moments proudly experienced on the Pemba Island beaches, marine animals, and culture to take some wonderful memories back from this tropical paradise.

Activities: Resort relaxation, farewell lunch, airport transfer

Accommodation: None (departure or optional lodge)

Meals: Breakfast, lunch