Pangani's main draws are its history and its river. The town is small enough to explore on foot in a couple of hours, but a local guide will surface details you would otherwise walk past — the carved Swahili doors, the old slave depot sites, the German and Arab graves tucked behind overgrown walls.
On the water, fishermen offer boat trips on the Pangani River through coconut plantations where hippos and crocodiles lurk in the shallows. Sunset cruises are a local specialty. Further offshore, the coral reefs around Maziwe Island are good for snorkeling, with sea turtles a common sight.