Pemba Island is located about 80km from Zanzibar Island and about 80km east of Tanga on the Tanzanian mainland. Despite its hilly landscape Pemba’s highest point is less than 100 metres above sea level and Pemba is smaller than Unguja.

Pemba Village

Arab sailors once named Pemba as ‘El Huthera’, meaning the Green, due to the island’s dense and lush vegetation. There are more natural forests and plantations than on Zanzibar Island and Pemba grows more cloves than Zanzibar. Today, earnings from the clove crop are supported by other agricultural products, cattle raising and fishing, which is an important source of livelihood. Pemba is also popular for its voodoo and traditional healers. People come from throughout East Africa seeking cures or to learn the skills of the art from practitioners on Pemba.

