Page 61 - Off The Tourist Trail - 1000 Unexpected Travel Alternatives (Part 2 of 2)

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Banda Islands, Pemba, Tanzania Blue Corner,
Indonesia NEED TO KNOW Palau

LOCATION The island of
-BLF
NEED TO KNOW Pemba is in the Indian Ocean, 7JDUPSJB ,&/:" NEED TO KNOW
30 miles (50 km) from the
LOCATION The Banda African mainland LOCATION Located in the SPORTS AND ACTIVITIES
Islands are in the Spice western Pacific, Palau is often ,BZBOHFM
Islands in Indonesia 1)*-*11*/&4 SCUBA DIVING Coral-ringed ,JHPNB 1&.#" incorrectly regarded as part of *TMBOET
islands dot the western coast and
SCUBA DIVING Deep %PEPNB nearby Micronesia
. "- ":4*" 1BDJmD steep walls lie on the eastern coast
pinnacles here contrast .FEBO 0DF B O SCUBA DIVING Palau is /HBSENBV
with shallow channels 4BNBSJOEB DAYTIME 5"/;"/*" %BS FT best known for big marine
4BMBBN
DAYTIME */%0 /&4*" +BZBQVSB TEMPERATURES Jan: animals and rocky reefs 1"-"6
82°F (28°C); Apr: 80°F (26°C);
TEMPERATURES +BLBSUB #"/%" *4-"/%4 -JOEJ ,PSPS 1BDJmD
Jul: 75°F (24°C); Oct: 80°F (26°C) ;".#*" -BLF DAYTIME 0DFBO
Jan: 86°F (30°C); Apr: &"45 5*.03 /ZBTB TEMPERATURES Jan: 81°F
86°F (30°C); Jul: 82°F *OEJBO (27°C); Apr: 82°F (28°C); Jul: #-6& $03/&3
(28°C); Oct: 86°F (30°C) 0DFBO "6453"-*" 81°F (27°C); Oct: 81°F (27°C)
A little piece of Africa that time almost forgot,
Pemba was once a spice-growing center run by
The Banda Islands, at the center of the Spice Islands, the Sultans of Oman. Today, the island is known In ancient times a matrilineal society regarded as
were long fought over for their wealth of nutmeg, for its clear water and vibrant marine life. Its east one of the wealthiest in the Pacific, Palau is today
once worth far more than gold. This small brown coast, which drops away sharply from mangrove- a magnet for those few divers who are prepared
nut is still the lifeblood of the islands, but running lined shores, has deep walls. Strong currents on to travel a long distance for their sport. And often
a close second are its dazzling coral reefs, which this side might restrict the growth of corals, but they come just for one very famous dive known
have long been protected against marauding they also attract big pelagic species, such as grey as Blue Corner. Strong currents sweep up a perfectly
fishermen. When you descend through the warm, reef sharks and hammerheads. On Pemba’s west vertical wall to a flat reef top where guides position
clear water, swim to the edge of the sheer wall coast, which is much calmer, you’ll find masses of divers, who hover above the reef using specially
and look down into the abyss, you won’t see far. tiny islands that create nooks and crannies for designed hooks that attach to rocks or rubble. It
Blocking your view will be shoal after shoal of divers to explore. The coral here is richer and can be a battle staying still in these currents – a
colorful fish darting around in ribbon-like waves, larger, and the reef fish more plentiful. To the south challenge that doesn’t seem to affect the massive
like a bizarre three-dimensional screensaver. Indian of the island lies the eerie but well-preserved wreck numbers of fish that come to the wall to feed.
Ocean triggers occupy the top layer, pyramid of a steam freighter that sank in a storm in 1967. Huge schools of barracuda block the sunlight as
butterflies sit below, and rainbow runners they approach. They are followed by even larger
beneath them. Don’t miss the fan corals, lower schools of jacks, while gray reef and whitetip
Practical Information
down the wall, which dwarf divers, or the harbor, sharks patrol just below, waiting for an easy meal.
Getting There Fly to Pemba from Tanzania’s capital, Dar es Salaam, or fly to
famed for its rare bottom-dwelling creatures. Mombasa in Kenya and reach the island by car and boat across the channel.
When to Go This is a year-round destination, although the rainy season is Practical Information
Practical Information between March and May. Getting There The most frequent and convenient flights to Palau depart
Getting There and Around Although Banda Neira has a small airport, most Website www.tanzaniatouristboard.com from Manila in the Philippines, although there is also a route available
divers arrive on the island via a liveaboard boat from Ambon Island. from the US via the Pacific island of Guam.
When to Go The water is calmest and clearest between October and April. Diver exploring the wrecked steam freighter off Pemba When to Go There is year-round diving here, although visibility is said to
be at its lowest in September.
Website www.divingmaluku.com
Website www.visit-palau.com
Shoal of reef fish around a bright red sea fan, Banda Neira
A mesmerizing shoal of Bigeye trevally fish at Blue Corner

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