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Africa Guide - Tanzania

Top 10 reasons to visit Tanzania in Africa

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Pemba Island - Near Zanzibar

Pemba Isand, the sister of Unguja and the true "Clove Island" is virgin, green and remote. The most reliable access to the island is by air charter but if one prefers to go by sea, the MV Sepideh and other ferries ply between the two islands several days a week. The beautiful bat, known as the Pemba Flying Fox (Pteropus seychellensis comoroensis), is endemic in the dense Ngezi Equatorial Forest Reserve of Pemba. There are many different kinds of shrubs and trees that harbor the bats, who are insectivorous, nocturnal and rarely seen by visitors. The bats are exceptionally large, much more so than the common East African bat species, with a wingspan of up to 1.7 meters. Although as a destination, Pemba is remote, historically it is one of the oldest areas in East Africa. Ruins of ancient mosques, tombs and palaces in Mkamandume, Wambaa and Msuka manifest this. Town and Villages on Pemba Island Chwaka: There are two sites of historical interest here. One is the 18th century remains of the Mazrui governor's headquarters. The ruins include a mosque, six family tombs and other graves. The other site is that of Harumi, where the Nabahani rulers had their headquarters in the 15th century. Chake Chake:  Chake Chake is the oldest town in Pemba Island, and has been occupied for many centuries. Ruins of an 18th century fort are found here. Ras Mkumbuu: New archaeological research shows that there were human settlements dating back to 6th century at Ras Mkumbuu in Pemba. Some 12th century ruins in this area shows that there were human settlements before the arrival of Omani Arabs and the Shiraz in Zanzibar. It is the site of the ruins of a large mosque with an arched mihrab, fourteen elaborate and decorated pillar tombs, several wells and foundations of houses estimated to date from around the 14th or 15th century. Mkia wa Ng'ombe: At this village stands the ruins of a big mosque, its size providing evidence of a large Muslim population that once lived here. Tomb pillars and wells similar to those at Ras Mkumbuu remain extant. Pujini: These are the 13th century ruins of a fortified town in Pemba. They are located ten kilometers southeast of Chake Chake. Pujini was the official seat of the infamous Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman who ruled Pemba around the 15th century prior to the arrival of the Portuguese on the East Coast. Locally, Rahman was known as Mkame Ndume or "milker of men" because of his cruelty and the harsh punishment meted out to his people. His citadel was a massive stone-built structure surrounded by a trench and a huge earthen rampart. Access for his ships to the sea was by way of a deep man-made canal cut out of a creek running through the mangrove swamps.

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