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Fundu Lagoon is the epitome of a “bare foot paradise”, situated on a remote and beautiful beach on the south western side of Pemba Island. It has been designed for couples and groups of friends who want to escape the usual holiday crowds, and Fundu Lagoon is also particularly popular with divers looking for some of the best diving in the world.
Fundu Lagoon has 16 tented bungalows built on stilts. Four are luxurious suites with their own private chill-out decks and plunge pools, and all 16 offer spacious accommodation inside and out, set under makuti (thatch) roofs on wooden decks with a view over the ocean. Each bungalow has its own hardwood-panelled bathroom with walk-in shower with hot and cold running water.
The resort offers two bars, a games and television room, an excellent restaurant serving local and international cuisine, a massage and treatment room and a shop selling clothing, cosmetics, jewellery, African artefacts and a small selection of toiletries.
The main areas are all built under thatch and are large and airy and overlook the ocean. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served in the main area or at the jetty bar with a three course lunch and dinner, some of the best cuisine to be found in East Africa. A jetty stretches way out into the ocean and the jetty bar is situated about a third of the way along, offering a wonderful place to relax.
Activities:
Pemba Island is listed as one of the top diving locations in the world, and Fundu Lagoon caters for the more energetic holiday-maker with a fully-equipped PADI Resort Diving Centre and a range of watersports including snorkeling and kayaking. The waters of the Indian Ocean are among the richest and most exciting in the world. The ocean around Fundu Lagoon on Pemba Island and in the Pemba Channel is renowned in both Scuba Diving and Fishing circles as one of the world's best. Fundu Lagoon’s Dive 710 centre is run by Andrew Murphy and Filbert Nathan, trained PADI instructors with many years of diving experience. Andrew, Filbert and their team of local islanders provide expert training and insider knowledge on all aspects of diving in the area. At Dive 710, the emphasis is on getting the most fun out of the sport whilst retaining the utmost respect for the environment and for diver safety.
Fundu Lagoon is just a short distance from Mesali Island, famous as Pemba's only marine sanctuary, and a visit to this beautiful reef is a must for all - beach lovers, snorkellers and divers alike.
Fundu Lagoon has a 30 foot catamaran with skipper and crew, available for day charters, and also offers sunset sails around the bay, on a traditional 11m wooden sailing dhow. In addition, the Centre has four two-man canoes that guests can take down to the pristine mangrove areas around the resort and explore this unspoilt wilderness.
Early morning fishing trips with local fishermen give the chance to catch snapper, parrot, fish, mullet or trevelly which Fundu’s chefs will be happy to grill for your lunch.
Nature Walks - on a low tide, walking along the sandflats outside. Fundu Lagoon will reveal an astonishing array of inter-tidal species such as herons, ibis and egret, crabs, starfish and the mudskipper, a fish that can skip across the sands on its pectoral fins.
A visit to Misale Island, the jewel of Pemba, is a highlight of a stay at Fundu Lagoon. As part of the Pemba Channel Conservation Area, its protected reefs provide a home to an exceptional range of sea life. Pristine corals attract vast numbers of reef fish and animals coming in from deeper waters you might bump into manta and eagle rays, barracuda and other game fish and reef sharks. For sun-lovers and dry land-lovers, the Misali beaches are superb and you can go for nature trails with trained wardens through the island including a walk on turtle nesting beaches.
From Fundu Lagoon you can also take an excursion to Ngezi forest in the North of Pemba, a beautiful area of natural rain forest populated by large numbers of birdlife, the vervet monkey and full of spectacular trees.
The main means of visiting Pemba Island are by light aircraft charter or schedule flight. There is also a ferry service but this is not always reliable. The only airport is Chake Chake in the centre of the Island, and the main port used by the ferry service is Mkoani in the south-west.