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Pemba is green where Zanzibar's main island is white: clove plantations, mangrove creeks and forest running down to small coves. The island holds millions of clove trees, but very few places to stay. Picking among Pemba hotels is less about comparing a long list than about choosing a corner of the island and the kind of days you want there: under water, on a boat, or barely moving.
This list covers the main lodges and resorts, ordered by fit for purpose, not price. Most facts come from each property's own website, read in October 2026. If you are still deciding whether to come at all, start with Pemba or Zanzibar; for flights, ferry and transfers, see how to get to Pemba.
How to choose
North or south-west. The Manta Resort and The Aiyana sit at Pemba's northern end, roughly an hour and a half by road from the airport. Fundu Lagoon is in the south-west and reached only by boat from Mkoani. Pemba Misali Sunset Beach is close to Chake Chake and the airport. Moving between them takes most of a day, so most travellers choose one.
Diving, or simply being by the sea. Pemba's reputation is under water. The deep Pemba Channel runs along the west coast, and its reefs are protected as the Pemba Channel Conservation Area. Divers usually choose a lodge with its own dive centre, and three of these four offer diving. Non-divers get snorkelling, mangrove canoeing, forest walks and plenty of quiet. Our diving guide explains who Pemba's walls suit; Zanzibar's reef conservation story explains who protects them.
Arrival time and luggage. Small aircraft and boat transfers set the rhythm. Fundu Lagoon cannot accept flight arrivals after 17:00, and it recommends soft bags within the airline limit. Plan your flight around the hotel, not the other way round.
Children. Fundu Lagoon is not suitable for children under 12. The Manta Resort has family villas. Age rules for your dates are the detail to settle before you book. For family-first planning, our Zanzibar family hotel list has more choice.
At a glance
| Hotel | Where | Format | Best for | Main trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Manta Resort | Far north | Small dive resort | Divers; the underwater room | Long road transfer |
| Fundu Lagoon | South-west, boat access | All-inclusive lodge | Couples | No children under 12; no late arrivals |
| The Aiyana Resort & Spa | Northern edge | 30-villa resort | Variety of activities | Resort scale for Pemba |
| Pemba Misali Sunset Beach | Near Chake Chake | Simple beach hotel | A short transfer | Limited published detail |
Right for you if you are a diver choosing between the Manta and Fundu, or a couple choosing between a boat-access lodge and a villa resort. Not for you if you want to move between lodges in one stay.
The list
The Manta Resort
Elevated · small seafront dive resort, far north of Pemba · best for divers and the underwater room
The Manta Resort calls itself intentionally modest: a few rooms, from garden rooms to seafront and family villas, a dive centre, a spa and the reef close by. Its signature is the underwater room, about 250 metres offshore, with a bedroom four metres below the surface and walls of glass; meals arrive by boat. The resort says its remaining proceeds go to managing the Pemba Channel Conservation Area. Look elsewhere if a long road transfer or patchy wifi would spoil the stay.
Fundu Lagoon
Elevated · boat-access lodge, south-west Pemba · best for couples
Fundu Lagoon has no suitable road access: you drive 35 to 40 minutes to Mkoani, then take the lodge's boat for 10 to 20 minutes, depending on the tide. Rooms sit on the hillside or on the beach under thatch, and superior suites have a private plunge pool. The all-inclusive covers meals, house wine, beer and soft drinks, snorkelling and mangrove canoeing. There is a dive centre and a jetty bar for sunset. It is not suitable for children under 12.
The Aiyana Resort & Spa
Elevated · villa resort, northern Pemba · best for variety
The Aiyana sits at Pemba's northern edge with 30 individually designed villas in five suite categories, all looking out to the ocean. Meals are served with dishes drawn from around the Indian Ocean; ask which meal plan applies to your dates. There is an infinity pool, a spa, and snorkelling, with dive trips offered on request. It offers the widest menu of things to do: dhow sailing, kayaking, sandbank picnics, mangrove tours and trips to Ngezi Forest. Look elsewhere if you want the intimacy of a handful of rooms.
Pemba Misali Sunset Beach
Signature · beach hotel near Chake Chake, Pemba · best for a short transfer
Pemba Misali Sunset Beach is about 20 minutes from the airport and 15 from Chake Chake, Pemba's main town, with a swimming pool and a restaurant. The operator's page lists activities that include several on Zanzibar's main island, such as Jozani Forest tours, so ask which activities run from Pemba itself. Choose it for a lower-spend base close to the airport. Look elsewhere if you want a dive-led lodge or remote seclusion.
If none of these fit
If you want more choice, Zanzibar's main island has over a hundred places to stay; the hotel overview sorts them by purpose, and Zanzibar's private islands covers island-style seclusion closer to Stone Town. For the quietest beaches on the main island, see the quietest beaches in Zanzibar.
Gecko Nature Lodge, a small eco-lodge in our records, is not listed: its former website now leads to an unrelated business, so whether it is operating is not established. Ask us and we will check.
Pemba is more conservative than Zanzibar's resort coasts. Fundu Lagoon asks guests to cover shoulders, elbows and knees outside the lodge, and notes that topless sunbathing is against the law. During Ramadan, eat and drink discreetly in public; our Ramadan guide explains how.
Planning it with Nobu
Pemba works best as a deliberate chapter, not a last-minute add-on: the flights, boat times and lodge rules need to line up. A travel designer plans the island around those connections and around what you want from the water. Nobu confirms which of these lodges it works with when it plans your journey.
Whether Pemba is right for you at all is covered in Pemba or Zanzibar.
Journeys to consider
- Zanzibar and Pemba — Stone Town and a Zanzibar beach first, then Pemba's reefs and quiet. → See Zanzibar and Pemba
- Southern Safari & Spice — Tanzania's southern parks, with Pemba as a possible final chapter. → See Southern Safari & Spice
- Shores of Zanzibar — the island journey for those who choose the main island instead. → See Shores of Zanzibar
