Why Go
Saba is a single extinct volcano rising almost vertically out of the sea, and it is the strangest and best of the small Dutch islands. There is no beach — not a token one, none at all — and there is exactly one road, built by hand after engineers said it could not be done. What there is instead: rainforest at the top of Mount Scenery, some of the cleanest diving in the Caribbean around its underwater pinnacles, four villages of white houses with red roofs and green shutters that look like a rule was enforced because it was, and about two thousand people. Come for a few days of hiking and diving in a place that has decided not to be anything else.
What It's Like
Everything happens along The Road, which climbs from the harbour at Fort Bay through The Bottom, over to Windwardside, and on to Hell's Gate and St. John's. The Bottom is the capital, sitting in a crater-like basin despite the name having nothing to do with altitude. Windwardside is where most visitors stay and eat, a cluster of shops and restaurants at around fifteen hundred feet with views out over the sea in most directions. Mount Scenery rises above it, and the climb to the top is a set of stone steps through cloud forest — genuinely steep, frequently wet, and the definitive thing to do here. Well's Bay and Ladder Bay are the coastline, reached by track and stairs rather than road, and Fort Bay is the working harbour where the dive boats and the ferry come in. The whole island can be crossed in twenty minutes and still feels much bigger than it is.
What to Do
Climb Mount Scenery — about a thousand steps, cloud forest at the top, and the reason most hikers come. Dive: Sea Saba works the pinnacles and the marine park, and the diving here is the other reason people make the trip. Walk The Ladder, the old stone stairway down to the sea that was the island's only landing place before the harbour existed, and think about everything that once came up it on somebody's back. The Saba Heritage Center and Harry L. Johnson Museum explain how a place this vertical was ever settled. Jobean Glass Art and The Studio are the island's craft scene, and Handmade on Saba is where the lace tradition still is. Eat at Brigadoon, Tropics Cafe or Island Flavor, and Saba Snack Gourmet for something quick.
Insider Tip
Getting here is the trip's main variable, so treat it as the first decision rather than the last. The airport has one of the shortest commercial runways in the world and small aircraft come in from St Maarten; the ferry is the alternative and the crossing can be rough enough to ruin a morning. Both are weather-dependent and both can be cancelled, so do not book a same-day onward international connection out of St Maarten — leave a night's margin at the end. Pack for cool and wet as well as warm: Windwardside sits high enough that evenings need a layer, and the top of Mount Scenery is in cloud most days.
The Practical Stuff
Saba is a special municipality of the Netherlands, which means the US dollar is the official currency — no conversion for American visitors and no euros. Dutch is official and English is the everyday language of the island, so nothing is difficult. Driving is on the right, and while a rental car is available, the island is small enough that many visitors use taxis and their feet; the road is steep and hairpinned throughout and is not a place to be nervous. Divers pay a marine park fee. Saba is technically within the hurricane belt, roughly June to November, though its size and height mean the practical planning question is more often cloud and swell than storms. There is no beach, no golf, no casino and no nightlife, and the island is entirely unapologetic about it.
Things to Do in Saba
- Mount Scenery — A thousand stone steps through cloud forest to the highest point in the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
- Windwardside — The village most visitors stay in, high up with views in every direction.
- The Bottom — The capital, in a basin despite the name having nothing to do with altitude.
- The Ladder — The stone stairway from the sea that was the island's only landing for centuries.
- Hell's Gate — The village on the way up from the airport, and the view back down it.
- Well's Bay — The closest thing to a beach, and it comes and goes with the season.
- Ladder Bay — The old landing place at the foot of the stairway, reached on foot.
- Fort Bay — The working harbour where the dive boats and the ferry arrive.
- St. John's — The smallest of the villages, strung along the road between the others.
- Sea Saba — The pinnacles and the marine park — the island's other reason to visit.
- Saba Heritage Center — How a place this vertical was ever settled and farmed.
- Jobean Glass Art — The island's craft scene, which is larger than two thousand people suggests.
Common Questions About Saba
Does Saba have a beach?
No. Well's Bay develops a stretch of sand in some seasons and loses it again, but there is no permanent beach on the island. If a beach holiday is the point, Saba is the wrong choice and makes no attempt to pretend otherwise.
How do you get to Saba?
Small aircraft from St Maarten into one of the shortest commercial runways in the world, or the ferry, which can be a rough crossing. Both are weather-dependent and can be cancelled, so leave a night's margin before any onward international flight.
How hard is the Mount Scenery climb?
Steep and sustained — roughly a thousand stone steps through cloud forest, often wet and slippery. Reasonably fit walkers manage it comfortably in a morning; it is not technical, but it is not a stroll either.
What currency does Saba use?
The US dollar. Saba is a special municipality of the Netherlands but uses the dollar rather than the euro, so American visitors need no conversion at all.
How many days do you need on Saba?
Three or four suits most visitors — enough for Mount Scenery, a couple of dives, The Ladder and the villages. Divers routinely stay longer; anyone wanting variety beyond hiking and diving will not.
Is Saba good for diving?
Very. The underwater pinnacles offshore and a long-protected marine park make it one of the better dive destinations in the region, and it is quiet in a way the bigger islands are not.
