The Manta Resort

Switch off your noisy, pressurised, polluted electronic world and enter a completely different one – not as a tourist, but as a sentient human being with simple needs – sunshine, fresh sweet-smelling air, natural food, a pristine comfortable bed and friendly company to care for you and yours.

All to be found folded into the edge of a primitive forest and set on rising land overlooking the purest, most turquoise waters that ever caught your breath – these waters hide secrets of the most exquisite kind – coral reefs unspoilt – and they are fringed by snow white, delicately soft sand on one of the most beautiful beaches in the world.

This is Manta, our treasured, remote island hideaway where you can feel the simplicity of a naturally evolved traditional Swahili island culture – and timeless peace and quiet.

Feel part of our Pemban family, our local staff, trained from the go to translate their natural unspoilt kindness and happiness into helping you in all ways to enjoy freedom and low-key modern comfort.

A group of good people who proudly endeavour to make Manta the special place it is. From the moment you arrive, your every conceivable activity and service during your stay will be all inclusive and private (with the exception of diving and outside tours).

You will have your own service fundi – a member of staff assigned to assist you personally – even perhaps to take you on visits to his village to meet relatives – if you so wish.

Submerge yourself
Within our Conservation Area lies the Underwater Room. A private island surrounded by coral. A place to submerge yourself in the Indian Ocean. You will experience the fascinating shifting lights of the water, the ebb and flow of the tide and subject to the curiosity of the fishy inhabitants of another world.

Pemba Island
Our treasured hideaway where you can feel the simplicity of a naturally evolved traditional Swahili Island culture and timeless peace and quiet.

Feel part of our Pembian family, our local staff, trained from the get go to translate their natural unspoilt kindness and happiness into helping you in all ways to enjoy freedom and low-key modern comfort. A group of good people who proudly endeavour to make Manta the special place it is.

The Underwater Room​
Anchored in an ocean floor anomaly we call the blue hole, the floating underwater room tops almost anything. Encapsulated within a turquoise blue bubble, watching shoals of reef fish swim by – sometimes in three or four layers of different species, this is a truly heart-stopping, yet awakening, experience.

The floating structure, Swedish engineered, provides three levels, above the water clad in local hardwood is a lounge, bathroom below a stargazing, sun tanning bed. Each one worthy of its own story.

The Seafront Villa​
The Seafront Villas boast a spacious and private open-plan design, with an extended balcony and plunge pool. The villas feature a perfect blend of traditional Pemban decor with contemporary comfort.

In addition, our newly installed state of the art EveningBreeze cooling system provides comfort without noise or drafts. After selecting your preferred sleeping climate, cool clean air will gently circulate over the surface of your bed—carrying with it the promise of a good night’s sleep.

The Superior Garden Rooms
The Superior Garden Rooms boast a spacious and private open-plan design, with a four-posted king size bed and large en-suite bathroom. Attached is your own private garden with outside shower.

Created from local materials and traditional Pemban decor with contemporary comfort. In addition a large swahili baraza lounge provides the perfect place to relax in the peacefulness of the garden.

The Seaview Restaurant
Overlooking the ocean, this is where most meals are served. From breakfast to your liking – with pancakes, sunny side eggs, bacon, fresh fruit platter, Tanzanian coffee – to lunch and dinner. Most meals are served here but are sometimes moved to the pool deck and beach for a change of scenery when possible.

Our team will treat you to a variety of fresh locally caught seafood as well as beef, chicken and vegan dishes, most of which have a distinct Pemba touch to them. Please don’t hesitate to inform us of any special preferences or dietary requirements you may have so that we can accommodate you!

The Lounge
The lounge provides comfortable seating where you can socialise and use our wifi. We periodically have communal dining when you may get to know your fellow guests.

The attentive staff will provide you with drinks and snacks of choice before you even know that you wanted it. Socialize, relax with that book you saved or lose track of time in a discussion as the sun sets on the western horizon. Make sure to ask your service fundi to teach you how to play Bao, a traditional game.

The Beach Bar
See the ebb and flow come and go (it rhymes!) while sipping away at a “Lemongrass Ginger Sling”, your feet buried in the cool sand, and a soft breeze cooling your skin. In our opinion, the sound of the breaking waves and a breathtaking sunset over the Pemba Channel makes this one of the most chilled places on the planet.

Our bartenders specialize in a variety of sundowners and cocktails and will spoil you with fruit drinks and cocktails from the freshest handpicked island mango, lime, lemon, pineapple, and coconuts blended with a touch of rum to create uniquely smooth and refreshing drinks.

The Beach
Some beaches are near mystical in their powers to slow time, erase reality, and hook you into a force greater than yourself. Our soft, cool, wide nothingness of snow white sand will calm your soul.

We serve most meals on the main verandah overlooking the ocean but move to the pool deck and beach for a change of scenery when possible. At high tide the sea provides a huge natural, sandy bottom swimming pool.

The Pool Area
Our sparkling pool surrounded by loungers in the open or under cover, is there for your sunbathing enjoyment with bar service all day long. The pool is a two tiered pool, with a depth of three meters at the deep end. This is the ideal place to start off your diving career and learn the basics.

The Kipepeo Spa
Breathe in. Breathe out. Embrace a new pace. Leave your everyday worries behind you and focus on You for a change.

Our trained therapists welcome you to our Kipepeo Spa for a free daily treatment of your choice. Soothing expert hands will coax you into perfect relaxation – to the sound of rustling palms and breaking waves on the beach below.

Back neck and shoulders massage
Breathe in. Breathe out. Embrace a new pace. Leave your everyday worries behind you and focus on You for a change.

Our trained therapists welcome you to our Kipepeo Spa for a free daily treatment of your choice. Soothing expert hands will coax you into perfect relaxation – to the sound of rustling palms and breaking waves on the beach below.

Swahili head massage
This exotic Indian massage of the neck shoulders and scalp relieves soreness and tension, promotes hair growth and induces sleep.

A Honeymoon unlike any other
Romantic walks on coral white-sand beaches, enjoying the sunset with your significant other, candle-light dinners with a spectacular view over the endless ocean on the terrace of your very own seafront villa or adventurous and beautiful diving to glimpse the unique underwater world of Pemba Island.

The Manta Resort offers numerous romantic activities for newlyweds and honeymooners alike. You have found your soulmate and tied the knot in a beautiful ceremony with the whole of your family and friends or in an intimate celebration with your loved ones.

You are over the moon with joy and the only thing that would make your life even more precious is the perfect, once-in-a-lifetime honeymoon trip to celebrate your newly established union.

Look no further – the Manta Resort is the perfect place for you. Our honeymoon package includes a romantic dinner on the beach, a sunset cruise and a sandbank trip.

Breathtaking Diving
The diving around Pemba Island, Zanzibar is nothing else but breathtaking. The untouched coral reefs surrounding the entire island make Pemba one of the top dive sites in the world. Pemba,

Tanzania is the perfect place to start your dive adventure with one of the healthiest coral reefs in the Indian Ocean, a water temperature averaging at 26ºC and the best visibility of East Africa of 30-40 meters almost every day!

Dive Sites
Some of the dive sites around Pemba are spectacular by any standards. The deep Pemba channel rises dramatically towards the island’s west coast in near vertical walls along many of the reefs.

Diving in this region is characterized by exceptionally clear, blue water drop-off’s and vibrantly healthy shallow reefs. Hard and soft coral gardens support a proliferation of reef and pelagic fish and other marine life.

THE SWISS REEF – 3 DIVE SITES
System of sea mountains running parallel to the wall on a platform 25 m down. The mountains have different profiles; from just a few meters up to 100 m long.

The thing to do here is drift dive over the system from one mountain to another, discovering the amazing reef life. Good chance of seeing big pelagic and turtles. Recommended for: Experienced divers.

SHIMBA HILLS – 2 DIVE SITES
The last corner of the Shimba Wall breaks into two and forms a valley at 12 m depth with sand bottom with lots of barrel sponges and anthias, red sea sweatlips, fusiliers, red tooth triggerfish, etc. Recommended for: Novice Divers

SHIMBA WALL
A gentle sloping wall, starting at about 6 m and runs parallel to the island for about 500m. connecting with Shimba hills. The Max depth of 25 m making this suitable for Advanced divers. Noted for its red tooth trigger fish, nudibranches and leaf fish to name but a few.

THE EDGE – 5 DIVE SITES
Just west of the north-western peninsula. This is the last wall before Pemba island drops into the Pemba channel The wall starts at 30 meters and falls down steep!

On the top of the wall huge barrels sponges and spirals corals grow up to two meters high. This is a great place for encounters with Napoleon fish, potato grouper, cubera snapper, big pelagic, turtle and even white tip shark. Recommended for: Deep divers certificate apply. Strong currents occur.

POLE POLE MOUNTAIN
Mountain of coral that lumes from 30 m to 16 m, the base of the mountain is scattered with smaller hills of coral, with lots of spotted sweet lips, nudibranches and turtles, this site is for experienced AOW divers and above, and can only be dived at slack tides.

SCORPIONS SECRET
Situated a 2 min boat ride from the resort a gentle sloping wall starting at 5 m down to 18 m. Clear visibility and gentle currents make this site perfect for novice divers (DSD and OW) and snorkelers alike, as well as night dives. Well know for its camouflaged scorpion fish. Leaf fish, lion fish and giant frog fish.

HOUSE REEF
Right on the entrance to the manta resort coming from the ocean, an open patch of sand at 5m with superb visibility, flowing into big coral bomies filled with tropical fish and nudibranches, is perfect for snorkelers and divers of all levels, as well as night dives, Keep an eye out for large eye squid and octopus.

NJAO GAP – 5 DIVE SITES
A 30 min boat ride from the resort, Njao Gap which separates Njao island from the main island, you will find 5 different dive sites (Coral Garden, North Wall, South Wall, Slip stream, Jahazi Reef)ranging from 5 m to 40 m with sheer walls, mountains and coral gardens.

This site focuses on good visibility, a massive variety of hard and soft coral, strong currents and a healthy vibrant range of marine life for example, Titan trigger fish, Napoleon wrasse, green turtles, giant trevally and dog tooth tuna, to name but a few, on the deeper dives we have been known to see white tip reef sharks, the sites are suitable for divers and snorkelers of all levels.

FUNDU GAP – 5 DIVE SITES
Situated South of Njao island about a one hour boat ride from the resort Fundu Gap separates Fundu island and Njao island. The 5 dive sites (Mandela Wall, Pinnacle, Coral Garden, Crack, South Wall) at Fundu range from 5 m to 40 m and allows for clear visibility, strong currents and large coral formations.

These sites are better know for their larger fish species such as Eagle rays, Napoleon’s, GT’s and Barracuda. The deep drop-offs and cooler waters allow for amazing soft coral growth such as Gregorian sea fans and anemone cities.

The Macro life on these softer coral gardens is phenomenal and is suited for all levels of diver and snorkeler, U/W photography is a must.

Learn to dive!
Pemba is the perfect place for start your diving courses – it’ll be a true adventure! With one of the most healthy coral reef in the Indian Ocean, a water temperature averaging at 26ºC, and the best visibility of East Africa of 30-40 meters almost every day!

In combination with these great water conditions Dive 360 Pemba Dive Center, a 5 star PADI dive center, has everything you need, including a great training pool in two levels, professional dive instructors, and multilingual staff to help you feel free like a fish!

Scuba diver (2-3 days)

If you feel you can’t afford to spend 6 days in “class” to finish the OWD course, then this course is the perfect solution. It’s only half part of the open water course, including 3 theory lessons, 3 confined water s and 2 open water dives.

You will be given the opportunity to dive to 12 meters depth, with the company of a professional diver. You can continue and finish your Open Water course anywhere in the world to get your OWD certificate! An excellent chance to experience diving!

Discover scuba diving (1/2 day)

This is not a course – it is an experience of a lifetime! For the ones that doubt diving really is as good as everyone says, this program gives you the opportunity to take a look down under.

We will give you 1 theory lesson, 1 pool session and then a fantastic dive on the sea at a maximum of 10 meters, with a professional diver close by your side at all time.

Snorkeling for conservation
Our house reef, directly in front of the resort, lies within The Kwanini Conservation Area. Hundreds of species of marine life and crystal clear tropical waters make this a must for all nature lovers.

Our boat captain and snorkel guides will accompany you and spot all our usual reef inhabitants, and all before breakfast. Best time of the day.

All revenues are donated to the local Marine Conservation Area Committee and rangers. Further donations are very welcome and appreciated. Our conservation boxes can be found at the diving centre and main lounge area.

Snorkeling trip
Experience the vast numbers of marine life and reefs through the clear blue waters of Pemba Island in our chosen snorkeling spots. You will be taken out with a guide and shown the colourful, vibrant life, lying just under the surface.

Pemba Inland Excursion
This excursion takes you all around Pemba Island, visiting the ancient Ngezi rainforest, spice farm and other places of interest. Pick and choose what you would like to include on your safari and how much time you would like to spend. If you do it all it will take you a good 8 hours starting at 08.30 in the morning.

The Ngalawa Cruise
An Ngalawa is the traditional sailing vessel used by fishermen on the island. Leaving from the beach at around 5:00 pm, you will cruise along the shoreline over the reefs enjoying the sunset, the thrill of the sail and bottle of bubbly.

Sandbank
At low tide, a sandbank protrudes to offer a walk on the purest white coral sand. The perfect black to relax on surrounded by azure blue waters. The excursion relies heavily on the tides, currents, and weather conditions and is not always possible.

This will require some planning between you and the resort management. A cooler box of fruits and refreshments is brought along. This is a 10-minute boat ride from the resort on the most northern point of Pemba Island.

Deep Sea Fishing
Enjoy a day out deep-sea fishing on the 34 ft sport fishing boat, Lunatic, an experience you will never forget.

Captain Bob will take you out to the famed North Pemba Channel fishing grounds, where a wide range of game fish species await under the clear blue waters (Striped Marlin, Black Marlin, Blues, Sail fish, Dorado, Yellowfin Tuna, Wahoo and more).

Your fishing adventure will start minutes from the mooring in front of the Manta resort and continues right up to your return. No time wasted running out and back. All fishing tackle / gear is provided, and refreshments/snacks will be provided throughout the day. Up to four anglers can enjoy this excursion.

Trawling from the dive boat
Enjoy a casual cruise along the reef line in our dive boat while trawling lines and hoping for a strike. If you happen to catch a tuna, dorado, kingfish or wahoo we will cook it up for dinner. This 2-3 hour excursion is tide and weather dependent. $75 per hour. Max 8 persons per boat.

Hand line fishing from Ngalawa
Local Ngalawa hand line fishing: Fishing tradition runs deep to the roots of Pemba’s culture. Not only will you enjoy sailing the Ngalawa, but you will also learn how to fish with the local experts. This 2-3 hour excursion is tide and weather dependent. $30 per person. Max 3 persons per boat.

Website: www.themantaresort.com

Rooms: 18

Price: from 260 EUR per night