Manta – Pemba Island
Manta offers something different from most tropical islands – it’s not about five-star luxury. If it’s serenity, close encounters with nature and a staff that’s like family you crave, then Manta is the place for you. Switch off the noisy, polluted electronic world and enter a completely different one – not as a tourist, but as a guest with simple needs: sunshine, fresh air, natural food, a comfortable bed and friendly company.
Pemba
Pemba
Sunshine, fresh air, and friendly, welcoming people. All found tucked into the edge of a primitive forest overlooking turquoise waters that hide secrets of the most exquisite kind – unspoiled coral reefs fringed by snow white sand on one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. This is Pemba.
Activities - Land & Sea
Activities - Land & Sea
Experience world-class diving, snorkeling, recreational fishing, and Ngalawa and dhow cruises at sunset on the sparkling Indian Ocean. Enjoy beach strolls and picnics, sundowner drinks and island exploration. Or simply do nothing at all. The Manta Resort can keep you as busy or quietly blissed out as you wish.
Kwanini
Kwanini
What makes Manta different is that we are consciously, continuously, asking the question ‘why’ – Kwanini? What does Pemba need to continue to thrive as a natural, cultural island paradise. The Kwanini approach includes knowledge transfer, empowerment and involvement to create a bright future.
Why Manta?
Manta is situated on a remote island off the east coast of Africa – probably as far away from civilization as most travelers might ever find themselves. A stay offers the chance to switch off the 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. Read More
Accommodations
Manta is not a typical 5-star luxury beach resort and certainly different to what you might find on other tropical islands. If you’re expecting all-inclusive bling, you will be disappointed. If, however, you are looking for serenity, close encounters with nature and a close knit family of people, we look forward to sharing our island paradise with you.
Underwater Room
Anchored in an ocean floor anomaly we call the blue hole, the floating underwater room tops almost anything. Encapsulated within a turquoise 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 provides three unique levels: above the water clad in local hardwood is a lounge, bathroom below a stargazing, sun tanning bed.
Seafront Villas
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 state-of-the-art EveningBreeze cooling system provides comfort without noise or drafts. After selecting your preferred sleeping climate, cool, clean air gently circulates over the surface of your bed—carrying with it the promise of a good night’s sleep.
Superior Garden
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.
Standard Garden
Our Standard Garden Room is a compact, private open-plan design with a four-posted king size bed, open en-suite bathroom and private garden with outside shower. Created from local materials and traditional Pemban decor with contemporary comfort. In addition a small balcony allows guests a shady spot to relax in the garden.
Meet Matt and Manta Family
Matt Saus – Managing Director
Matt Saus is the Managing Director and co-owner of Manta and the Underwater Room. He is also the architect of the Kwanini concept. Born and raised in Zimbabwe, Matt grew up with a strong sense of entrepreneurship, a love for adventure and our wild world from the onset – and his passion for preserving our beautiful places has only intensified since.
In 2006, armed with a map and a driving desire to conserve our oceans, he found himself on a journey along the Indian Ocean coastline of Africa to locate an ideal spot for the world’s second Underwater Room (the first being in a lake in Sweden and the brainchild of his business partner and designer). It was then that he discovered the Manta Resort (a run-down dive resort at the time) on one of the last islands in the Indian Ocean that’s unexploited and “still real”. With a gorgeous beach and active reef – it was perfect.
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Juma Bakar – General Manager
Community and Conservation
Pemba is still unexploited by tourism on a social level, but the tipping point is near and the future of the island depends heavily on the impact that tourism will have. Through the exposure of the Underwater Room project, Manta have been able to communicate the culture of responsible, sustainable tourism and what it means to this very traditional Muslim Swahili culture which they call “KWANINI” (meaning “WHY” in Swahili). Read More
Travel Trade Resources
Manta 2023/2024 rates & specials – Agents only (requires member log-in)
Manta Suites & Rooms fact sheet
The Underwater Room fact sheet
Manta General Fact Sheet
Manta experiences
Manta diving
Manta Photos and Videos
Manta Pre-Departure Information/Packing List
Manta Kipepeo Spa Menu
Visit our Travel Trade Hub for additional Manta trade-related information and resources.
