Many dream of staying in an “over water villa” on a white sandy beach on an exotic island. Imagine if there was a place that could take that dream one step further, a villa on the water but with an underwater room. Manta Resort can fulfill that dream, and in addition to its fantastic underwater room, there are also magical villas on land. Manta Resort started as an idea back in 2005 when Matt Saus, who had his roots in Africa, together with his Swedish wife Carina, looked for the perfect place for the experience. The idea itself came from Matt’s partner Mikael Genberg. After much searching, they found the perfect place – Pemba Island, Zanzibar, an island steeped in authentic Swahili tradition, unexploited by tourism and unaffected by the outside world. Pemba had everything a paradise island has to offer. A real place with real people and a real future where you are invited as a guest.
Contact form
Ecorating: 4.0
This product meets our requirements for Ecorating, a product that is good for humans and the environment.
Does my trip make a difference?
Read more
This product meets our requirements for Ecorating, a product that is good for humans and the environment.
Sample Itinerary
Manta Resort is located on the northwest part of Pemba, an island in the Zanzibar archipelago. Here is a perfect mix of unspoiled beaches, the warm Indian Ocean, mangrove swamps and lagoons – heaven for divers.
Manta Resort’s biggest attraction is its underwater room. Imagine being surrounded by the blue ocean with colorful fish and corals below the surface. The villa itself has three floors; a landing deck, at sea level, with a lounge and bathroom, a ladder leading up to the roof with a lounge area where you can enjoy the sun during the day and gaze up at the starry sky in the evening.
Underneath it all is the room underwater with a large double bed and with an almost 360 degree view of life around you. You will feel like you are in a James Bond adventure.
As a guest at The Manta Resort you stay with everything included, which means that everything from food, drinks, laundry and even spa treatments in their Kipipeo Spa (although it is limited to one per day), is included in the price. The only things that are added are activities and any excursions and tips. There are 17 different rooms to choose from and villas all very comfortable and decorated in Swahilianda.
Here is a large bar and the restaurant with open sides is a cool place to enjoy one of Pemba’s best sunsets while sipping a sundowner. A tip is to try their Ginger Lemongrass Sling!
There is also a pool overlooking the ocean and a white sandy beach with sun loungers, hammocks and makuti parasols where you can enjoy a good book or just relax in the breeze. Turn off your mobile.
Much of the fresh produce in the kitchen comes from the resort’s organic farm and fantastic seafood is also offered here. Guests are assigned their own personal “fundi”, who will be on hand to serve drinks and meals during your stay.
The activities at Manta resort revolve around the sea, here you can enjoy a magical underwater life with corals and tropical fish in all its colors and shapes, deep sea fishing, snorkeling, diving, sailing and kayaking. Don’t miss out on a sandbank excursion, a trip to a spice farm or a guided tour to Ngezi rainforest where you have the opportunity to see colobus monkeys.
The diving around Pemba Island, Zanzibar is unbeatable. The pristine coral reefs that surround the entire island make Pemba one of the best dive sites in the world. Imagine a water temperature of 26ºC and visibility of 30-40 meters almost every day!
Some of the dive sites around Pemba are truly spectacular. The deep Pemba Channel rises dramatically towards the west coast of the island in near vertical walls along many of the reefs. Diving in this region is characterized by exceptionally clear, blue waterfalls and vibrantly fresh shallow reefs. Hard and soft coral gardens support a proliferation of reef and pelagic fish and other marine life.
In addition to the excellent natural water conditions, the Dive 360 Pemba Dive Center has everything you need, including a fantastic two-level training pool, professional dive instructors and guides to help you with all your diving needs!
With a little luck, you can also see both dolphins and whales in season.
Trip details
Ecorating: 4.0
Season: June – April
Airport: Pemba Island (PWA) via Dar Es Salaam.
Included in the price: Full board, all drinks (except premium spirits), water, tea and coffee, laundry, 1 spa treatment per day, transfer to and from the airport.
Not included in the price: International flight (we can help you book it), travel insurance can be booked at Gouda, tips, visas and things of a personal nature.
Good to know about Tanzania
Travel ethics: To show respect for religion and culture on Pemba Island, we recommend that you cover your shoulders and knees when you move outside the hotel. When you are on the beach or on a boat, a bikini and swimsuit work great.
Visa: Swedish travelers need a visa to visit Tanzania and Zanzibar. This is easiest to do in advance (at least 3 weeks before) here or via the Tanzanian Embassy in Sweden in Stockholm.
Time zone: GMT + 3
Packing: Sunglasses, sun hat, sunscreen and a small flashlight.
Local currency: Tanzanian Shilling
Weather: Weather Pemba Island
Mobile network and email: Email and internet access are available but are shaky.
Water: Clean water is available at the lodge.
Security: Tanzania is considered a safe place for tourists.
Ecorating: 4.0
This product meets our requirements for Ecorating, a product that is good for humans and the environment.
Does my trip make a difference?
Read more
This product meets our requirements for Ecorating, a product that is good for humans and the environment.
What makes Manta resort different is that it consciously and continuously asks the question “why” – Kwanini? The Kwanini Foundation was born from these questions. The focus is on Pemba, and what the island needs to continue to thrive as a natural, cultural paradise.
Other strengths of Kwanini’s approach are knowledge, empowerment and commitment. Transferring knowledge through educational and community development projects to give young people in Pemba an opportunity to reconnect with nature and their environment. Empowering the people of Pemba to be part of the decision-making process by taking part in the public-private-community-partnership approaches to managing natural resources and involving as many people as possible in their operations is a very large part of the Kwanini philosophy. To enable people to do what they need to do, to create a bright future for themselves by providing them with the necessary support tools and knowledge to use them.
Some examples of the projects that are being carried out in the Kwanini Foundation are:
- Various community projects such as building a new police station, sponsoring football cups, education of the local population
- The Kwanini Foundation wants to develop innovative projects to help reduce the amount of waste created on Pemba and how waste is handled. They plan to do this through two areas: education and technology.
Conservation projects:
- At the end of 2013, the potential for a community-based marine conservation effort on the reef at Manta Resort was reviewed. Over a period of three days, consultations were held with members of the local community and fishing stakeholders. With support from local communities and the government, 1 km of coastline was transformed into a protected zone, called Kwanini Marine Conservation Area (KMCA) where all forms of fishing are prohibited. Over the past four years, there has been a huge increase in fish populations and fishermen are beginning to realize the value of setting aside small areas. These efforts are supported and financed through tourism.
- Oceanography – a project where we study the sea around Pemba and collect data to protect the area.
- Fish Surveys – a project to counter predatory fishing and to protect the sea from being overfished
