Pemba Activities & Attractions

Scuba Diving in Pemba & Quirimba islands:
Diving and snorkeling enthusiasts will be thrilled to hear that not only are Pemba's reefs treasured with rich marine life, but they also exist unusually close to the shores. Head down to the very popular Wimbe Beach, a major tourist attractions, is 10km from town. Wimbi is the major attraction, this is where all the restaurants are, beach activities and night life is.
Traditional Maconde art, wooden carved statues, Paintings, arts & crafts, curios, is sold in Wimbi now.
The Maconde tribe pride themselves as skillful sculptors, creating expressive and aesthetic helmet masks, which are used by dancers with force and emotion at the traditional festivals and ceremonies.

Enjoy Northern Mozambique's hot sun and simply, relax & take a splash in the warm, clear azure waters. During the holiday season, a fantastic and exciting vibe is created on all Pemba's beaches from all the festivity that goes on from holiday makers from all over the world!

Venturing towards the outskirts of town, you will notice the cultural lifestyle of the local inhabitants, on a land filled with lush vegetation and an incredible amount of Baobab trees! About a 6hr drive further north of Pemba Bay is a coastal paradise that has some absolutley pristine, beautiful white sand beaches that stretch for miles ... and off the coast of these beaches are the magnificent island 'jewels' of the Quirimbas Archipelago that has plenty of activities to do, a marine park excellent accommodation! A visit or stay at these islands (Matemo and Medjumbe in particular) are highly recommended! This is another reason why Pemba is such a popular tourist destination as the city serves as a gateway for the Quirimbas Archipelago islands (27 islands in total)! You can take a short plane ride from Pemba's airport to get to these islands.

If you are interested in some wildlife and would like to explore territory benieth the towering Ngalongue mountains and Eastern banks of the Lugenda River ... Then go book a plane ticket (appoximately 90 minute flight) to a Lugenda Wilderness Camp and also be there to witness Mozambique's pristine wildlife on 42000km2 on land!

With the combination of modern, cultural, historic and exotic features, this definitly in return, effectivley makes Pemba for one of the most luxurious yet interesting holiday destinations on the Africa's coastline.

Nacole Baobab:
Located inside the bay of Pemba. an eco-friendly nature estate with 3 types of mangrove estuaries, bird watching, a secluded sunset beach fire with savanna bush. You can walk inside 9m2 hollow ancient Nacole Baobab amongst 40 existing Baobab trees and see Large Split Face bats hanging above. During the war this tree served as a hiding place for refugees.

Stunning bay & beaches around Pemba:
Wimbi beach is where everything comes together and you can enjoy the ocean breeze from one of many restaurants along a long palm-fringed beach and on the rare occasion witness local fishermen walk past with a sailfish hanging over his head. While enjoying a cocktail from the clean white beaches, Dolphins can be seen in the calm blue waters. 2009 proved to have the biggest display of Humpback Whales with up to 5 whales at a time often seen breaching close to the shore You can snorkel at 3-5m deep on Pemba Dive Reef 100m in front of the dive center by taking a Kaskina (traditional canoe) also ideal environment for professional and novice marine underwater photographers, in very calm waters. Just 250m from the dive center the continental shelf drops down to 700m.

We do not have sharks in our waters. The bay offers an extensive variety of soft and hard coral that attract a legion of fish species between 3 - 30m deep, even the rare 1 000kg Sun Fish, large Potato bass, Napoleon wrasses, Dolphins and Turtles all year round..

It is incredible to dive with the orchestra of the male Humpback whales singing their mating rituals right through out the dive between July- October.

Dhow Trips:
Explore around the bay on a Traditional African Arabian dhow trip.

Game and Pelagic fishing trips:
Go out to sea to pick a good fight with Sailfish, Kingfish, Dogtooth Tuna, Great Barracuda, Couta, Dolphin fish, Wahoo, of which some divers have had the rare opportunity to see them close to shore.

When the wind picks up Kite surfing is popular at Murrebue make sure you travel in a 4x4. Do take the Mecufi turn off, there is no access to Murrebue traveling on the fragile beach.

Sundowners is a must inside the bay when the African sunset dances in front of a secluded beach camp fire, playing with fire balls and beating drums through the night, which makes an unforgettable tropical paradise, the traditional Pemba way.

Quirimbas Archipelago:

Quirimbas Archipelago is 20km from Pemba (that is Sito land/island and Quipaco Island are the closest to Pemba, NOT Ibo Island).

Quirimbas National Park:
Quirimbas National Park is 13km from Pemba. The Parks boundary is 5km past Ponta Do Diabo, at the Suswani River and the Quirimbas National Parks “Buffer Zone” goes up to Ponta Suide Ali light house, Londo, also in the Pemba area.

Nacole Baobab – at Pemba Dive & Bush Camp Lodge:
Located inside the bay, an eco-friendly nature estate with 3 types of mangrove estuaries, bird watching, a secluded sunset beach and savanna bush, where there is also the ancient Nacole Baobab amongst 40 existing Baobab trees. You can walk inside the baobab tree that is 9m2 hollow and see the Large Split face bats hanging above. During the war, this tree served as a hiding place for refugees. Today it is explored for wall climbing.

Slave Trade Fort at Ponta Romero Lighthouse:
It is an open plan historical monument where slaves were auctioned off, and is also a look out point for incoming ships.

Paquitequete – 1km after Ponta Romero Light house:
This old traditional fishing village will take you back in time. You can witness the, traditional trading, lifestyle, building and repairing of the ancient Dhows, which are still active today. Be careful where you step!N

Nkwita Lake – One hour drive from Pemba:
Nkwita lake collects fresh water from the surrounding rivers creating a permanent wet land which attracts migrant species and waders. The lake is home to a very prolific bird life, with reed nesting birds constructing nests in the surrounding Savanna Bush.
Fresh water birds such as, Raptors and Storks feed on the surrounding bright coloured amphibians. Amongst the vast bird population the rare Dickinson’s Kestrel has been sighted and Fish eagles are resident there.
Near the lake is a traditional village where the local fishermen would pole themselves on their Kaskinas (hand carved canoe) into the lake and spear their catch with hand made spears.
Day trips can be arranged with Kaskazini at info@Kaskazini.com