How to get to Pemba

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Last checked: October 2026.

Pemba is the island most people never reach — about 50 km north of Zanzibar across the Pemba Channel, greener and hillier than Unguja. That emptiness is the point of going, and it is also why getting there takes a little more intent than a beach transfer on Unguja. There are two ways across: a short flight or a long ferry. Then there is the part visitors underestimate — Pemba's own roads, and the fact that the best places to stay are at the far ends of the island from where you land.

The detail

Flying — how most visitors go. Pemba's airstrip sits outside Chake Chake, the island's main town, roughly in the middle of the island. From Zanzibar the flight is about 30–35 minutes in a small turboprop or Cessna Caravan. Auric Air flies the route regularly and Coastal Aviation flies it too; ZanAir, Flightlink and As Salaam Air have also served Pemba, so what is on sale varies by season, and each carrier's timetable should be read before you book. Luggage is weighed and limited on these aircraft — typically a soft bag of around 15–20 kg, set by each carrier — and seats are allocated by weight and balance, not choice. Flights also connect from Dar es Salaam and, less often, from Arusha and the Serengeti airstrips via Zanzibar, which is how Pemba slots onto the end of a safari. Expect a fare in the low hundreds of dollars each way and choose the flight by its timing rather than its fare, because the day's last arrival matters (see below).

The ferry. A passenger ferry links Stone Town's port with Mkoani, Pemba's southern harbour, and Azam Marine is the operator that lists Pemba among its routes; Zan Fast Ferries also appears in aggregator listings. The crossing takes about 1½ to 2 hours on the fastest boat, but sailings and fares vary and are not published reliably, so settle the operator, days and fare before you plan. Fundu Lagoon's own travel guidance calls the Zanzibar ferry unreliable, and the Pemba Channel is open sea, so the crossing can be rough in the kusi wind season (June to September, into October). The ferry makes sense if you are travelling light, staying in the south near Mkoani, or simply prefer the sea; it is not the choice for a tight connection.

Diving or snorkelling Misali. Pemba is more conservative than Unguja, so cover shoulders and knees in Chake Chake and Mkoani. Misali Island is a protected area with a marine conservation fee (about US$10 adult, US$5 child; confirm at booking), so snorkel with an operator that briefs you on no-touch rules for the reef and the coral.

From the airstrip to your bed. Pemba's lodges are few and far apart, and the transfer is part of the day:

• Fundu Lagoon (south-west, reached only by water): about 35–40 minutes by road from the airstrip to Mkoani, then 10–20 minutes by the lodge's own boat, depending on the tide. The lodge does not accept flight arrivals after 17:00.
• The Manta Resort (far north): about an hour and a half by road.
• Other Pemba lodges (Aiyana, Gecko Nature Lodge, Pemba Misali Sunset Beach): transfer times differ, so ask each lodge. For how the lodges compare, see Best hotels in Pemba.

Lodges arrange these transfers for a per-person fee; Fundu Lagoon and The Manta Resort both charge around $45–50 each way. A travel designer can build the transfer into your journey, so nobody has to arrange it on the day.

Flight or ferry, side by side.

Why most visitors fly. It is quicker, it connects to the mainland and Zanzibar on the same morning, it avoids a sea that can be rough, and it lands you in daylight with the long road transfer still ahead. The ferry saves money and gives you the sea; the flight gives you the day — and on a short holiday the day is the scarcer thing.

Arriving from the mainland. If Pemba is your safari finish, the usual shape is a morning flight from the Serengeti or Arusha to Zanzibar, then an afternoon hop on to Pemba — see → Serengeti to Zanzibar for how that transfer day works. Flights also connect from Dar es Salaam, as well as from Zanzibar.

Key facts

Flight: Zanzibar (ZNZ) → Pemba (PMA), ~30–35 min; Auric Air and Coastal Aviation fly it (timetables vary). Ferry: Stone Town → Mkoani; ~1½–2 h on the fastest boat; timetable and fares vary and are reported unevenly. Operators: Azam Marine (lists Pemba among its routes); Zan Fast Ferries (aggregators). Airstrip → Fundu Lagoon: ~35–40 min road + 10–20 min boat; no arrivals after 17:00. Airstrip → The Manta Resort: ~1.5 h road. Lodge transfers: ~$45–50 pp each way. Luggage on small aircraft: soft bags, weight-limited, set by the carrier.

Planning it with Nobu

Pemba rewards the traveller who gets the logistics right and then forgets them: the flight that lands before the lodge's cut-off, the road transfer already waiting, the boat timed to the tide. A travel designer can thread it onto the end of a safari or a Zanzibar stay as one sequence, and work out a fallback if the morning plane is late. → Plan your journey.

Is it right for you?

You want an island that is quiet, you dive or snorkel, and you are happy to trade a long transfer day for a week with far fewer visitors around you. Pemba is the wrong choice if you want nightlife, a fixed daily ferry, or a beach you can walk to a bar from. Fly if your time is short or you are connecting from a safari. Take the ferry if the sea is part of the appeal and you have a loose day either side. If you are still weighing Pemba against the main island's beaches, that decision has its own page — → Pemba or Zanzibar? — and the island itself is introduced on → Pemba.

Journeys to consider

• Zanzibar and Pemba island-hop — Stone Town, an Unguja coast, then Pemba as a quieter final stretch. → See the Zanzibar and Pemba island-hop
• Shores of Zanzibar — the island alone, if Pemba is not part of your plan. → See the Shores of Zanzibar journey