Pemba's administrative and commercial capital is a small, low-rise town built on a low ridge overlooking a tidal creek on the west coast of the island. The old quarter near the disused 18th-century fort has whitewashed coral-stone houses with carved Swahili doors, a busy daily market, and a clutch of cafés serving sweet spiced coffee and mandazi.
This is the natural base for visits to Misali and Pujini, and the place to find guides, dive operators, and a working ATM. Chake's seafront on the Wesha side is where dhows leave for the offshore islands. The town is small enough to walk in 30 minutes.