Pemba is greener, hillier and far quieter than Unguja (the main Zanzibar island) — it sees a small fraction of the tourist traffic, despite offering some of the best scuba diving on the East African coast. The Pemba Channel drops off steeply into deep water, drawing pelagic species and keeping coral walls in excellent condition.

The island was historically the world’s dominant clove producer, and clove and spice plantations still cover much of the interior — plantation tours are a highlight, alongside dense stands of mangrove and rainforest at Ngezi Forest Reserve.

Misali Island, a small uninhabited island off Pemba’s west coast, is protected as a marine conservation area and a top snorkelling and diving site.