Things to Do in Saba

Saba is not for everyone, and that is precisely the point. This five-square-mile volcanic speck has no beaches, no cruise ship dock, no resorts, and no nightlife to speak of. What it has is a 2,910-foot cloud-forested peak, some of the Caribbean's healthiest reefs, and a population of around 2,000 people who seem genuinely happy you came.

The island's centerpiece hike is Mount Scenery, the highest point in the entire Kingdom of the Netherlands. The trail begins with 1,064 hand-laid stone steps behind the Trail Shop in Windwardside and climbs through four distinct ecosystems - dry secondary forest gives way to rainforest, then elfin forest draped in bromeliads and orchids, and finally a misty cloud forest at the summit. On a clear morning the views stretch to St. Barths, St. Kitts, and beyond. Start early, as clouds typically roll in by midday. The hike takes about 90 minutes up and an hour down, and the trail is well maintained but steep in places - bring good shoes and rain gear.

For a different perspective, the Sandy Cruz Trail descends from the road between Windwardside and The Bottom through thick tropical forest to a remote rocky shoreline. The Ladder, a historic staircase of over 800 steps carved into the cliff face, was the island's only access point before The Road was built in 1958 - today it is a dramatic hike from The Bottom down to the old harbor at Ladder Bay.

Below the waterline, Saba's diving is world-class and uncrowded. The Saba National Marine Park, established in 1987, encircles the entire island and its management has produced exceptionally healthy reefs. The pinnacle dive sites - submerged volcanic peaks rising from the deep - are what set Saba apart from other Caribbean diving. Third Encounter, Twilight Zone, and Eye of the Needle are underwater seamounts where nurse sharks, barracuda, giant grouper, and the occasional hammerhead cruise past walls crusted in orange cup corals and purple sponges. Saba Deep and Sea Saba are the two dive operators, both long-established and professional. Even non-divers should take a guided snorkel trip to Torrens Point or Well's Bay, where the shallow reefs are vibrant and protected.

Back on land, the villages themselves are attractions. Windwardside, the main tourist village, has the Saba Trail Shop for hiking information and gear, the Jo Bean Glass Art studio where Jobean creates blown glass using volcanic sand, and a handful of restaurants and bars that constitute the island's entire social scene. The Bottom, the capital, sits in a bowl-shaped valley and houses the government buildings, the island's medical school, and the charming Queen's Garden Resort.