Don’t go to Saba Island if you are looking for a beach, you won’t find one on this Caribbean island.
You also won’t find a stoplight, bugs, fast food, buildings over 4 stories, crime, or cruise ships. If you are looking at this list and thinking, “This sounds like travel paradise! This is my kind of destination”, then you and I are on the same wavelength.
It’s actually easier to describe Saba Island (pronounced SAY-BA) on what it doesn’t have than what it does have. Saba, the smallest island in the Caribbean, is also the most unique. Much like the Island of Molokai in Hawaii, it’s not trying to be a big tourist destination like its Caribbean neighbors. It is more interested in maintaining its quirkiness, uniqueness, and secret status.
Saba is not its own country, it’s actually part of the Netherlands – it is officially called Saba Netherlands Antilles.
Saba (population 2,000) is not for the masses, it’s for those rare pioneers who like exploring the new and unspoiled. It’s not for people looking for a beach escape, umbrella drinks, or tan lines. It’s for the curious culture hunters, the ones that can appreciate the quirkiness of small-town living.
If this sounds like you, then read on and find out why I fell in love with Saba Island, also known as the “Unspoiled Queen of the Caribbean”. This 5-square-mile island captured my curiosity and awoke my inner explorer.
Table of Contents
So, What Will You Find on Saba Island?
Shortest Commercial Runway in the World
Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport, built in 1963, literally put Saba Antilles on the map by opening them up to tourism, but also because its runway was the shortest commercial runway in the world. At only 1,300 feet, it’s just a few feet longer than some aircraft carriers! I love landing in remote, hard-to-get-to places; this landing with cliffs on both sides was what enticed me to Saba in the first place.
Saba’s Diverse Ecosystems
Even though the island is only 5 square miles, you will experience three distinct ecosystems; coastal/tide pool, dry forest, and rain/elfin forest. Where else can you experience such diversity in such a small place? Nowhere.
Prefer not to fly? Check out this full-day ferry ride to Saba
World-Class Diving
Saba’s deep waters are known for their world-class diving. You’ll find pinnacles (islands that never formed), drop-offs, and caves that start 40 feet deep. While diving you’ll see sharks, turtles, and fish you don’t normally see in the Caribbean. The whole area around the island is a National Marine Park and is protected.
However, even for the non-divers like me, there are still a few places to snorkel! We went out snorkeling near Wells Bay. The corals were lovely and colorful; however, I will admit it was a bit deep for snorkeling. Regardless I would suggest this snorkeling to anyone as it’s a super way to get out on the water and see the rugged landscape of this island from a completely different perspective. I was in awe of the views and the sheer cliffs above and below the water!
Hiking
Saba may be known for its excellent diving, however, the real hidden secret is the hiking! This is a hiker’s paradise with 3 different eco-systems on this little 5 square mile island! You can experience the rain forest, dry forests, and coastal/tide pools hiking trails. There are about 20 different trails with miles and miles of hiking to incredible views.
I went out with Crocodile James, a local hiking guide (and all-around interesting and quirky guy) to experience hiking in Saba’s 3 ecosystems. The hiking on Saba is challenging considering the only piece of flat land on the island is the 1,300-foot airport runway! Expect a lot of up and down, and even some scrambling at times. However, the trails are maintained extremely well for such a small island. You can tell that hiking on Saba is revered by the locals based on how well they take care of the trails.
Art
Saba isn’t only about adrenaline-inducing hiking and diving – they also have a really strong arts scene. I was able to get hands-on creating glass beads and jewelry with JoBean Glass Art for a morning. With a little instruction, I was suddenly creating glass beads – I was surprised at how fast it can be done! JoBean’s Saba-inspired glass art and jewelry are sold at her workshop or at Kokona, a little art-themed gift shop in the Windward Side. Island artisans fill the shop with creative works of art from food and drink to sculpture and paintings.
In addition to glass art on Saba Island, there are a number of new art classes popping up around Saba. Maybe you also want to try your creativity at jewelry making, tie dye, or other textiles. They even offer classes where you can do crafts and cocktails at the same time; amping up your creativity!
Saba Spice
You know I enjoy a drink now and then, so when I learned about Saba Spice, a homemade spiced rum that is only made on the island in people’s homes – I was pretty excited to learn more. Each family has its own secret recipe.
I went to learn how to make Saba Spice with Lucy, a local who still lives in the 112-year-old house she grew up in! Made with fennel, cinnamon, clove, brown sugar, water, and 151-proof rum, I watched as Lucy cooked it up in a big pot on her stove. It cooks for hours and makes the whole house smell delicious! Most locals drink it after dinner with ice, however, I had it as a Saba Spice Sour – with lemon juice and a little sugar water. In addition, many cook with it as it adds so much flavor to meats, and french toast, and you can even pour it over ice cream!
If Saba Spice isn’t your thing – but you enjoy a good drink – then check out Chez Bubba’s for their gin & tonic tasting! Local bartender Duco Van Grieken will astonish you with his gin & tonic tasting. With more than 25 different types of gin and numerous types of tonic, Duco will create combinations that you will have never tried before.
A Human Birds Nest
There aren’t many Saba Island resorts, but the ones they have are special. Bird’s Nest at Queens Garden Resort has a private, intimate dining table built high up in the middle of a hundred-year-old mango tree. You can dine in a tree while watching the Caribbean Sea or the stars at night, as you enjoy a delicious meal delivered by your personal waiter. I dined with my friend Susan in the ‘nest’ and between delicious courses we gushed at how romantic this place would be if we had been with a significant other! So, when our waiter asked if it was ok if we took our dessert down below on the ground so that someone could use the nest to propose, we graciously gave up our perch in the name of love. And by the way – she said “yes”!
One Road
As if landing on Saba wasn’t scary enough, then you get in a car and drive on the narrow, winding road. I’m not sure which panicked me more – the airport runway or the road! From the airport up to the Windward Side you’ll experience 23 turns – most of them hairpins. Simply referred to as “The Road”, it stretches 10 miles from one side to the other.
Sabans used to traverse the island by trail, but in the late 1930s the decision to build a concrete road was made. Dutch & Swiss Civil Engineers said building a road on Saba wasn’t possible. Thus, the road got its title, “The road that couldn’t be built”. However, a local man, Josephus Lambert Hassell, took it on as a challenge. The first stage of the road was inaugurated in 1943.
There are no stoplights, a smattering of stop signs, and no straightaways. You’ll find the busiest corner in the Windward Side at a T intersection where the road narrows and tends to back up during ‘rush hour’. And if you are looking for some tummy-tingling excitement – just head to Wells Bay where you’ll experience road grades so steep that you’ll be nervous to even walk down them. It was like going down a roller coaster where your butt lifts off the seat! I’m pretty sure that the most important shop on the island is a brake shop.
Saba Lobster
Saba Lobster (better known as Caribbean spiny Lobster because it has no claws) is known throughout the Caribbean. The claw-less lobsters are found in the Saba Bank. No, this has nothing to do with currency. The Saba Bank is a 60-mile-long stretch of submerged atoll a few miles off the coast. It’s a place particularly rich in biodiversity and in spiny Lobster. Many of the restaurants on Saba have fresh Saba Lobster in tanks that you can choose from. And in November the island has its very own Lobster fest!
Discover how many ways there are to eat lobster
Is Saba Island for You?
This tiny island is like no other; it may be small and lack a beach, but it has a uniqueness that I loved. Saba isn’t for everyone – but it is for me!
5 Travel Essentials if you go to Saba
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Other Island travel you may enjoy
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5 unique experiences on the Faroe Islands
Getting to Wrangel Island in the Arctic just got easier
Where to stay in Saba
While in Saba I stayed at Juliana’s Hotel which has turned out to be the best place on the island in my opinion. The owners, Johanna and Wim, are young and fun and seem to be the social directors on the island holding happy hours and educational video nights, and art/cocktail parties! Johanna grew up on the island and her mother is a local artist. We stayed in an old 1877 Saban cottage but they also have regular hotel rooms and suites. My highlights of the place was the old (and moody) cat Zion and the blow up black swan that had a home in the swimming pool! The prices hover around the $150 to $175 range and include breakfast!
PIN IT FOR LATER!
Disclosure:
I was a guest of Saba tourism for this trip, however all opinions expressed here are my own.
By Drs H René Caderius van Veen June 18, 2019 - 3:07 pm
What a pity that in this article all about culture and cultural heritage is missing. Speaking about the history and more of traditional cottages, about village views, about remainders of 17th century plantations and pre-columbian excavations, about museums and the West-India Company etc.
By Sherry June 18, 2019 - 9:03 pm
Sorry it didn’t meet your needs. However, I do have more articles on Saba coming. Yet I do mainly write about adventure travel and hiking, so I focus quite a bit on that throughout my blog. I loved it there, but I was unable to get to the museum while I was there.
By Robert Dean June 19, 2019 - 12:12 pm
Saba is magical and is rich in so many ways! I have visited and dream of living there one day as a permanent resident. I think the article is dead on and allows the reader to do a bit of research and discovery on there own.
By Sherry June 20, 2019 - 3:43 pm
Thanks for the kind words. I too fell in love with Saba – I don’t think I’d ever want to go anywhere else in the Caribbean!
By Tracy Zagers-Johnson June 20, 2019 - 8:45 am
I am a Saban and I really enjoyed reading your article. You described our Unspoiled Queen to the T. The hike up Mount Scenery, the highest point of the Dutch Kingdom, is especially beautiful too. On clear days you can see all around the entire island from up top. I’m glad you enjoyed your stay and hope you will visit us again.
By Sherry June 20, 2019 - 3:44 pm
Thanks Tracy – glad you enjoyed it! I loved it there – and I didn’t even have a chance to hike up to Mt. Scenery!! But that is just a reason to come back!
By Kumu Kern June 20, 2019 - 10:02 am
I would consider changing that title. It is being perceived in a negative way.
By Sherry June 20, 2019 - 3:43 pm
Did you read the article? The article is positive in every way.
By Pearl Nowlan June 20, 2019 - 9:47 pm
Absolutely loved this island from the very first time we visited it. We would pop over on a ferry (the Edge ) from Sint Maarten, almost every year, and spend that day exploring Saba , it’s trails, handicraft shops, museums, etc. The local folks are a real treasure and their history also.
By John Flemming June 21, 2019 - 3:43 am
Thank You Very Much for Sharing this Nice Article. Really I Want to go There. Your All Pictures are MindBlowing.
By Derrick June 28, 2019 - 9:19 pm
This island sounds wonderful – that amazing seafood sold it to me!
By Steve Sirica July 31, 2019 - 8:23 am
Saba is now on my list of places to visit. Sounds absolutely magical.
By Gregory George August 16, 2019 - 10:17 am
Loved Saba: met a lovely man, Brother Riley of The Bottom, who claims to have had the pleasure of bringing the then teen-aged Princess Juliana to shore from her ship when she was visiting the island from Holland all those years ago. Delightful man! Also the diving was spectacular! Lovely memories of a lovely relaxing time!
https://www.followsummer.com/st-maarten/the-bottom/
By Alex Howell August 23, 2019 - 12:35 pm
How fortunate to be able to visit such a beautiful place, excellent work, they bring me closer to fabulous places and even make me feel that I really travel to those places. Thank you!
By Gerard Hughes October 12, 2019 - 12:53 pm
Went to Saba a few years ago to visit family, it was my first visit. Found the flight in and out very exciting, sat up front and had a front row seat on landing and taking off.
Hopefully I can return there one day.
I believe there was a tiny beach , but it depended on the tide , so you have to be ready 🙂
By Sherry October 19, 2019 - 7:07 am
yes – it was only ‘available’ for part of the year – the rest of the year the ‘beach’ is all rocks.
By Alexandra White October 22, 2019 - 5:36 pm
Hi,
I would like to know if it is possible to move there and rent a small cottage/log cabin.
What is the procedure?
I’m Dutch, living in the mountains of Tenerife, with my dog, for 6 years now.
Please contact me for more info.
Thank you
By Sherry October 31, 2019 - 10:56 am
Alexandra – I’m sorry but I have no idea how to move there – I was just vacationing there. However people relocate there all the time – so I’m sure it’s possible!
By Alexandra White October 31, 2019 - 1:26 pm
Hi sherry!
Thanks for your reply.
What was your overall impression of the island, people, expenses, internet access, infrastructure?
I’m a hiker and adore the mountains and forests. Beaches are not important to me. That’s why I thought this island would be perfect for me, as there are no beach tourists…
Thanks in advance!
By Gabriella Chow Bohnenblust November 6, 2019 - 3:25 am
Thank you so much for providing great insights to this island. Very useful.
By Jarno May 30, 2020 - 1:35 pm
HI Sherry,
I love you article, Saba is our home and my favorite place in the world. Just one little remark. When I was reading your header, I actually closed the window. Eventually I went back to read it. Please consider changing it, I believe people will not read it just because.
By Jim clark August 23, 2020 - 6:41 pm
Sherry,
I have to laugh… it was the title of your article that made me want to read it! I used to live in Antigua when I was in the navy. But it was too ‘busy’. Beautiful beaches though. But to find an island of such beauty that is also unspoiled is a dream come true. Don’t change the title. You nailed it.
Jim
By Sherry October 16, 2020 - 6:39 pm
Thanks Jim!
By erik panthel November 2, 2020 - 8:49 pm
Hi Sherry! Liked your small blog on Saba. I was wandering how far the Canadian currancy goes there. Looks like a lot of fun away from the typical beach scene. Is there any medicine there?
By Sherry November 20, 2020 - 11:28 am
Hi Erik – I don’t have any idea what the exchange rate is for Canadian currency there – but you can easily check online. However – I will say that overall the prices weren’t like St. Martin – they were reasonable…but remember it is an island and getting supplies is expensive for them! I hope you go visit – it’s incredible!!
By Wanda Goodman December 4, 2020 - 11:45 pm
Wonderful article on Saba. You truly captured the essence of the initial experience. There are so many magical things about Saba that I fell in love at first sight. My late husband and I were scuba divers and we first stayed on Saba in 2011. In 2013, I bought a house there. One of the tiny but so lovely original cottages, Daphne Cottage. It was built in 1842 and has been lovingly maintained ever since. I have not been fortunate enough to live on Saba full time (yet), but we do get to spend several months at a time there. Reading this article was like a love letter from home. I love the people of Saba most of all and they have loved me right back for years. I’ve traveled a good bit in my time, but nothing compares to Saba for me.
By Sherry December 5, 2020 - 11:13 am
Thanks for your kind words! I loved it there – it really captured my heart!
By Linda Woods April 12, 2021 - 2:05 am
I was so fascinated by Saba that 40 years ago my husband and small daughter and I stayed on Sint Maarten. I was drawn to Saba like Bali Hi in film.
I flew over for the day. I was enchanted. I hiked up the mountain trail part way.
I was struck by the fact that most Sabans at that time resembled each other. Probably genetically true. Many had the same last name.
Wish I could order the Saba Spice wine.
I am old now but cherish that I went there.
Linda Woods
Spokane, Washington
By Sherry April 12, 2021 - 2:10 pm
Great memories Linda! I too wish I could order Saba Spice – mine is all gone already!
By erik panthel May 12, 2021 - 5:21 pm
If you need to go to the hospital for something, where is the closest large one?
By Sherry June 1, 2021 - 6:32 pm
You would have to go to Saint Martin for anything serious.
By Marlene Dempster May 29, 2021 - 5:08 pm
We sail there every year and are excited to try the Queen’s Garden Resort to sit in the tree! We usually eat at Brigadoon which is always great but can’t wait to try that one. Thanks!
By Delphi Diamond July 6, 2021 - 1:45 am
There is actually a medical school on Saba that is pretty good
By Debra J Fisher March 12, 2022 - 5:23 pm
Thank you for your informative article. My grandfather was from Saba Island, James Hassell and I’ve been wanting to travel to Saba Island for many years to see where he was from and meet some distant relatives. Reading your article made me anxious to get there soon.
By Sherry April 24, 2022 - 12:39 pm
I hope you get to visit soon – it’s such a special place!
By Bernardus Rust April 10, 2022 - 10:05 am
During my life this is a lifetime memory. In 1994 I visited st. Maarten, st. Eustasy and St. Saba. Arrived with a small Fokker plane (max 9 person’s) this is absolutely paradise. With a guide went into the volcano, surprisedly a tropical forest with colorful tropical birds and butterflies. Wonderful people and the best experience in life.
By Sherry April 24, 2022 - 12:34 pm
I agree!
By dave May 10, 2022 - 3:52 pm
What a great read. I was there for a day back in the 80’s. A Barefoot Cruise went there. It was magical then and your article brought some of that magic back to me. We anchored off shore and a tender brought us to a tiny doc. A beat up old taxi took us up to the village. I bought Saba lace as a gift and Saba spice and just enjoyed walking around in the cooler air. Later I swam from the boat to the rocky black volcanic beach. I had never seen black sand before. The water was so clear I got scared at first, I felt like I was falling!
I am thinking now of going back for a stay. Thanks!!
By Jeff June 4, 2022 - 10:47 am
I am sooo excited to read all of these lovely notes! I will be flying to St Maarten next Tuesday with my wife and 3 other couples.
We will be staying in a Villa for 4 nights and I am giggling about the experience after all I have read!
World class scuba, hiking and great food … how can it get better than that?
By Sherry June 6, 2022 - 1:20 pm
Enjoy your trip! And the lobster!
By Dorset Campbell-Ross June 16, 2022 - 1:19 am
I read this article because friends went there sailing and said it was wonderful! I almost skipped your article because of the title. After all I am not interested in why I should not go to a place that I know is wonderful. Turned out it is a positive article with a negative title. I recommend changing it is you want more readers. On the other hand do not if you want Saba to remain a secret – which also sounds like a great idea!