Ibo Island & Quirimbas Getting to Ibo Prices

Getting to Ibo

Much easier than it used to be. There is now a variety of ways to reach the island which suit all budgets, and also a few accommodation options. All prices are current at June 2009, but subject to change.

International Flights
If you are coming from overseas, you need to book your flight to Pemba, Mozambique. International flights arrive from Johannesburg, South Africa, Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania to Pemba. TAP flies from Lisbon to Maputo with daily connecting flights to Pemba. LAM announced in May 2009 that it is now possible to book online.

Driving from Maputo to Pemba will take around 3-4 full days.

From Pemba to Ibo

1/ Charter Flight
$132 Pemba to Ibo and $120 Ibo to Pemba. Per person. 25-30 minute scenic flight.
The charter planes belong to private companies that service the luxury lodges on some of the other islands and as such, scheduling preference is given to those clients. This means that the time of your flight is only confirmed the day before. So you should not plan to arrive in Pemba, fly to Ibo and start your dhow trip the same day. Plan to spend a night in Pemba and or Ibo before commencing a dhow trip.
Return charter flights can also be requested, and we will receive confirmation of the departure time the day before. Again, it is wise to plan a night in Pemba rather than trying to fly out on a charter flight and catching another flight on the same day.
All these flight bookings are handled by Kaskazini in Pemba. You can contact them directly, or, once we have finalised dates of dhow trips etc, I will pass on the booking request to them, which ensures that they know who and how to contact us, so even if we are out at sea we can get confirmation of times.
It rarely happens, but should the flight not be available that day, Kaskazini will arrange road transport.
The airstrip is 1,5km from the old town. If you have not booked in anywhere, be prepared to walk. If you are leaving with us same day, we will meet you there.

2/ Road and Boat transfer
Road transfer in Kaskazini's minibus. 2,5 to 3 hours on graded dirt road from Pemba to Tandanhangue which is on the mainland opposite Ibo island.
$200 1 to 4 pax
$220 5 pax
$240 6 & 7 pax
Then the boat transfer takes about one hour on a motorised boat.
$40 for the boat transfer each way (1 – 4 pax), there after $10 pp max 6 people.

ie, the cost pp if a group of 4 is traveling together, is $60.
This option must be carefully planned to coincide with the high tide of the day. Boats cannot leave Tandanhangue on a low tide. We can provide tide times when you give us dates.

3/ Independant local Travel
Total cost about $8 each
Local minibuses or chapas leave Pemba every day for Tandanhangue from the bus stop on 25 do Setembro, about 500m south of the turnoff to Wimbe beach. They take from 3-5 hours. There you can find a local dhow taxi to get you to the island. The official price is Mt 40 (less than $2) pp on a local taxi style dhow with motor. Again, you need to check the times of the tides so as not to get stuck in Tandanhangue.

4/ Self Drive
You can leave your car safely at Tandanhangue for about $4 pn. Then you can arrange a lift on a local dhow, or with advance notice, we can book a motor boat to pick you up for between $30 and $40 for the boat min price or $10 pp.

5/ Dhow from Pemba
This is for those who have plenty of time and no schedule - ie, you can't rely on this if you have dates booked for the dhow.
In Pemba, you can talk with the local dhow captains at Paquitequete to arrange a lift on a cargo boat, or book the whole dhow for yourselves. Mt2 - 3000 ($80-120) is a reasonable price to book the whole dhow or around Mt200 pp as a passenger, be prepared to negotiate. Minimum travel time is about 10 hours if the weather is favourable, however you may end up staying onboard overnight. Take enough food and water, sunscreen and mosquito repellant.

6/ Last Minute Plans
Several operators on the island have cars or dhows running between Pemba and Tandanhangue at any stage and are prepared to offer lifts in return for contribution towards fuel. If you are in Pemba and ready to leave, call Kaskazini or send us an sms and we will let you know any info we have which may help.

Places to Stay in Pemba
There are many options in Pemba. Again, contact Kaskazini for bookings and first check out their website.

Accommodation on Ibo Island

Cinco Portas midrange and backpackers
Miti Miwire midrange and backpackers

Ibo Island Lodge top end boutique hotel

TDM House and various homestay options which you can organise on arrival. Someone will always greet you and be prepared to find somewhere for you to stay if you arrive by local dhow.

Arthur Telephone: +258 82 5116925 or alternatively sms to +32 489218566
Satellite phone: 881631546816 -Only try this number when no response from both of the above numbers
(send a free short message to this number via www.iridium.com otherwise standard costs apply for satellite calls)
Email: waterworks.moz@gmail.com
hearn.sarah@gmail.com