Swahili divers and gecko nature Lodge

We had a great time there! Everyone is really really nice, helpful and friendly! The nature is really beautiful, amazing sunsets and nights full of stars! The food is delicious and the dives were great! I have only good things to say!
Mike, Jennipher and all, thank you for the amazing time!

I did not sleep at the Lodge but I took Diving lessons. Mike is an amazing instructor, he spent a lot of extra time teaching me how to dive as I was very scared at first. His patience and his passion for the sea helped me get in the Open Water. A big thanks to him for an unbelievable experience! I would highly recommend to dive with Mike.

If you enjoy nature this is definetly your place. The lodge offer activities to know the nature in the island, including diving. Very confortable dive that start from the same accomodation. The logde suponer the conservation program of the coconut grab, and endangered specie. You will see them every night walking around. The menu is delicious and lot of vegeterian options! Mike and his team is so hospitable that they make you feel at home. We will come back.

We had a great diving holiday!!!
The place itself is really remote and perfect to calm down and relax.
The room was absolutely spacious and comfortable.
The staff is very helpful and the food is amazing.

We enjoyed the daily diving trips as well as relaxing on the sun deck with a beer.

Mike is an excellent host and a very knowledgeable dive instructor who focuses on safety first and plans the dive trips according to everyone’s level.

Diving conditions around Pemba are stunning! There are places for every diver: beautiful coral gardens with colorful fish live (especially for divers and macro fotographers who love nudibranches, leave fish and stuff like that) starting from 5 meters but also steep walls with currents, large fish like potato groupers, napoleons, tuna, stingrays, eaglerays etc. which offer some nice drift diving. Visibility was amazing all the time and the surface interval took place on one of the beautiful sandy beaches nearby the dive site which was an excellent way to recover and have a coffee, some fruits and a pice of cake.

Offering world class diving conditions like that, it‘s only a matter of time until this place will get more and more recognized by the diving community all around the globe.

This is a wonderful place to stay if want perfect peace and quiet.
Fantastic sunsets to be viewed on comfy sofas facing the beach.
Great food and service from all the staff.
Maybe the rooms could do with a little maintenance.

Mike and his team made this a very special stay for us. The hospitality was world class, the food delicious and the dives some of the best dives I’ve ever done. Aquarium is an extraordinary dive site with huge gardens of cabbage coral and colourful reef fish.

My Boyfriend and I escaped crowded Zanzibar for the last three days of our trip to Mike and his Lodge on Pemba Island. It was absolutely lovely from start to finish.

The place is right at the beach with a wonderful terrace where you can watch the sunset, go for a swim or see the ladies of the island harvest seaweed during the day.

The diving is spectacular, for so many reasons. Extremely good equipment e.g. dive computers without additional cost, your are COMPLETELY alone on your dives - no other schools or boats or anything. The dive sights are magical with intact and endless coral reefs, sea turtles, and fish in all imaginable sizes. My boyfriend and I also ended up doing the Nitrox course as well as we spent the evenings discussing diving equipment and improvements with Mike - who is very knowledgeable and happy to share :)

Thank you to Mike and the team for the wonderful days - we will definitely be back!
Details to the food below.. as it deserves a special section

If I come back to Pemba I would stay here again, despite not being a diver - and the lodge is definitely geared towards divers. One of the main selling points for me was the fact that they have offer a dorm, i.e. cheaper accommodation than what you would otherwise find in Pemba. The remoteness was also refreshing after the hustle and bustle of Unguja.

Mike and his team are really welcoming and supportive! They are providing amazingly professional dives - they are passionate divers by heart themselves and you could feel that. The water has an amazing visibility. Between two dives there’s a break with coffee, cake and fruits at a beautiful beach!
The food there is amazing. Really nice chef cooks amazing food for lunch and dinner!
I just have to say, that the shower water was a bit salty.
All in all I highly recommend a stay at this place!

We had the best time at Gecko Lodge. Mike was always nearby to help us with anything and everything. I had ear problems on my first dive so had to cancel the rest, and Mike fully refunded me and was amazing with helping me figure out what to do. Everyone else working at Gecko Lodge is also really friendly and lovely. We saw Bush Babies and Coconut Crabs when walking around the garden at night!

I spent 8 nights and did 8 dives with the crew at Swahili Divers. I came for the diving as I had to find out what Zanzibar has to offer and I was not disappointed; having recently dove in Raja Ampat, it takes world class dive sites to compare to this, and Pemba does compare. The conditions can be challenging, but the crew always selected the appropriate sites for the days I was there. The dive shop has excellent gear and provides computers as a standard, something I was keen to take advantage of being a rental gear diver 100% of the time. The surface intervals are done on beautiful isolated beaches. If you're looking for a shop with deep knowledge, equipment, and services, this is a good bet.

The rooms are well appointed and I think a fair value for where you are - this is a remote place - and remote in a good way given that the resort staff are taking care of everything else. If there's any complaint I would give about the rooms is that they could have better lighting at night. There's even a dorm here which budget travelers will appreciate and it's also nice.

The staff at the restaurant were very attentive and the food is also good with some budget options if you're looking for that too.

This place is wonderful in the middle of nature. Beautiful big, well decorated rooms. Everything is very clean. The staff is warm and friendly. The food is the best i ever eat. And so much choice, enough vegan or vegetarion options.
The owner, Mike is for sure convivial, charming, patient and very eager on safety and to give you the best dive experience he possible can give.
And to show and enjoy the beauty of Pemba. And Pemba is very beautiful. The corals are still intact and the diving is ever time a big surprise. I will surely return. This place is magic.

We went diving with Mike for three days and also spent a little time there, eating and stuff. We felt very very comfortable, there was a lot of emphasis on safety and a relaxed atmosphere. Mike is a great manager and has many exciting things to tell.

In addition, we had the best food on all of Pemba, you noticed that everything is done with love and very thoughtful.

I can only recommend it to everyone to dive here or to book accommodation!

The absolute BEST place to stay if you are looking to scuba dive in Pemba.

The dive shop is top notch - they even have nitrox tanks available - their crew is extremely professional and I felt safe the whole time.

Plus, they have comfy beds, air conditioning (for the expensive room), delicious food, a deck overlooking the ocean, and...THE BEST DIVE SITES!!!

All for way less than any of the upscale resorts just north of here. In some cases, it's literally like 90% off. The other places are for sure NOT 10x better.

The owner, Mike, is great to deal with - and you can tell he clearly cares about his guests' experiences. Plus, he has a love of scuba which is infectious. It's great to see someone who gets to do what he loves each day.

A++++, honestly just as good as my liveaboard experience at the Great Barrier Reef. Would easily recommend.

We went diving + snorkelling with Mike and his team and had a great time. Mike is calm, patient, kind and fun as an instructor. He really loves introducing others to his diving passion. Incredible coral + so many fish! Big thanks!

Mike and his team are extremely welcoming and supportive, provide quality dives at a perfect spot with crystal clear water and the food is amazing. Only downside the salty water that comes out the shower and the slightly uncomfortable rooms. Can defenetly recommend going there.

Great place for diving ! The owner takes you to the best spots. The fishing on the way is also nice to do!

For non-divers, you can do kayaking on the mangroves.

The place is not new but is good for a good retreat out of the animated world. It is a quiet lodge into the pure nature.

If I have the chance to come back in Pemba, I will stay there for sure!!!!

We dived with Mike and Sicily for 3 days and had a great experience! The dives were beautiful and we learned a lot. Mike and Sicily were very welcoming and nice.

In addition we stayed in a near by lodge and they arranged a pick up every morning for us without additional pay

Great place to relax, delicious food and amazing diving experience with Mike, the owner.

He is passionate about diving and about sharing his passion as well.

Unique experience with the night dive with UV light, thanks again Mike for the great time!

Looking forward to coming back!

Extremely professional team, and amazing attitude.
We stayed for 3 nights, had 6 amazing dives and enjoyed every minute.
Prices bit high, but much cheaper than the fancy resort in the north. No other options on the island.