Pemba

Overview

On the north coast, at the mouth of a huge bay, is Pemba - another top destination with a range of watersports on its stunning waters, beautiful beaches and coral reefs. Some say the Pemba coast has the most beautiful beaches in the world.

History

Pemba is a port town in Mozambique located on the south side of the world's third largest natural bay, with a population of 100 000. It is the capital of the province of Cabo Delgado. It is the most important centre in northern Mozambique, and therefore has banks, patisseries, supermarkets and restaurants, although the town is very run down with paved streets having massive potholes and other storm water damage. The town was built over rolling hills, and most people live in wooden huts set amongst many thick baobab trees. The history of the people of the Cabo Delgado province weaves throughout many centuries of African, Arab and Portuguese sailing, trading and settling. The town was founded by the Niassa Company in 1904 as Porto Amelia, after a queen of Portugal. The town is renowned for its Portuguese colonial architecture. It was renamed Pemba at the end of Portuguese rule, in 1975. Pemba is also renowned as being a prime destination for water sport and diving enthusiasts as a coral reef lies close to the shore. Pemba has increasingly become a tourist destination, particularly for upper-middle class Mozambicans and South Africans. There is now a weekly flight from Johannesburg to Pemba, a five-star hotel, the Pemba Beach Hotel, restaurants, and other forms of entertainment.