Pemba - Area Information
Pemba, Pemba, Mozambique
Pemba, Mozambique Pemba Travel Info
Pemba is the capital of Cabo Delgado province in the far north of Mozambique, 250km from the Tanzanian border. It is served by flights from Maputo with LAM and is accessible by road for the more adventurous traveler with time to spare but A 4x4 is recommended.
Pemba has shops selling basic supplies, banks, petrol station and markets. The main resort area is the
Pemba Beach Hotel a few km's out of town. It boasts glorious white sand, clear water and is fringed by palm trees - it is certainly an idyllic paradise.
Cabo Delgado is home of the Makonde people, famous for their ebony wood carvings - “Torture Art”. The art workshop in town is where guests can watch the carvings take shape. The Makonde have a great cultural heritage seen in their traditional dancing and cosmetic practices - the women paint their faces with a white powdered root to soften the skin, sharpen their teeth, tattoo the body and pierce the top lip.
Running parallel to the coast between
Pemba and the Tanzanian border are a string of 32 little islands making up the
Querimba Archipelago.
Ibo Island is the main island having been used by the Portuguese as a trading post. There is an interesting old town on the island with some impressive 18th and 19th century houses facing the mainland, and two sturdy forts with their cannons facing the sea. The interior of the island is densely forested.
