ABOUT PEMBA TOWN:
Pemba town (Port Amelia on the marine charts) lies at 13 degrees South, 40 degrees 30 minutes East and is the capital of Cabo Delgado province. Pemba Bay is one of the largest natural harbours in the Southern hemisphere
Old colonial Portuguese architecture combines well with Arabic and modern structures presenting quite an interesting look. The white coral sands of Pemba’s Wimbe beach stretches for over 2 kilometers and offer safe bathing, snorkelling and moonlit strolls. The many magnificent baobab trees dotting Pemba and its coastline gives you a feeling of being lost in a place forgotten by time. Traditional palm leafed houses nestle in between palm and baobab trees. From July to December the humpback whales grace our waters and there is a good chance of seeing them even from the beach. Definitely a fisherman’s paradise, where the local fisherman catches sailfish and tuna with hand lines from their dugout canoes.
The Quirimbas arquipelago consists of 32 coral islands stretching north from Pemba to the Rovuma River, which forms the natural frontier between Tanzania and Mozambique. This undeveloped region remains a tourist paradise and has plenty to offer the adventurous traveller.
Pemba boasts an international airport. Apart from numerous self-catering rooms-to-rent, there are two new quality hotels and a number of good restaurants to choose from. Internet cafes are available. Cellphone services are good. The local currency is the metical but dollars are widely accepted and credit cards can be used to draw cash at most banks. Travellers cheques should not be used.
Note that Pemba is a malaria area and prophylactics should be taken.
LOCAL CLIMATE:
The climate is tropical, with the rainy season from December to April. Rainfall is usually in the form of brief, intense showers with temperatures in the mid 30’s (Celsius!). The dry season is from May to October with daytime temperatures in the mid 20’s. Seawater temperatures vary from 24 to 29 degrees Celsius, ensuring comfortable diving all year. These moderate conditions and the fact that Pemba lies outside of the Indian Ocean’s cyclone belt ensures diving all year round.
ACCOMMODATION:
CI Divers is situated at the Nautilus Hotel on Wimbe beach (Complexo Nautilus). There are 35 chalets on the beach all sea facing. They comprise 2 bedrooms sleeping 4 (1x double bed and 2x single beds), a bathroom with shower, tea and coffee facilities, a beverage fridge. There is a restaurant, bar and casino on the premises.
For those preferring congenial private residential accommodation amidst luxuriant plants around a mighty baobab, rooms are available at “Pieter’s Place” .