Jochem Wijnands

Saba

Rising like an otherworldly peak from the Caribbean, this cloud-shrouded volcanic island – a 'special municipality' of the Netherlands – is as vertiginous as its motherland is flat.

Dense vegetation draping Saba's dramatic crags and valleys made it the ideal silhouette of Skull Island in the original 1933 King Kong movie, with some of its scenes set deep in the jungle also filmed here. Amid the foliage, its tiny main villages – commercial center, Windwardside, and capital, the Bottom – harbor enchanting traditional red-roofed, white-timber houses with forest-green shutters and gingerbread trim.

Below the waterline lies a colorful kingdom of coral teeming with sharks, turtles and luminous tropical fish. Scuba diving is renowned here, but there are also opportunities for free diving, snorkeling or swimming at one of Saba's two ocean coves.

Saba is an easy day trip from neighboring islands, but its unique rugged landscape and astonishing aquatic ecosystems reward longer exploration.

Explore Saba

M
Mt Scenery
A dormant volcano that last erupted in 1640, Mt Scenery (887m) is the pinnacle of pyramid-shaped Saba, and officially the highest point in the Kingdom of…
J
Jobean Glass Art Studio
Local artist Jobean works out of her colorful studio up on Booby Hill. During a half-day glass workshop, you’re set up with a torch and an unlimited…
C
Cove Bay
Behind a breakwater constructed from boulders to keep currents at bay, this little cove is one of the island's two ocean swimming spots, with excellent…
W
Wells Bay
Backed by sheer cliffs, this rocky little bay has a small, coarse sand beach that comes and goes depending on the northerly swell – ask locally to find…
S
Sacred Heart Church
Locals refer to this charming 1935-built stone Catholic church as ‘Saba’s Sistine Chapel’ thanks to Dutch-born local artist Heleen Cornet's colorful and…
M
Mary's Point
The far-flung village of Mary’s Point was once a 45-minute walk from even the next village. In 1934 the Dutch government decided to move every single…
H
Harry L Johnson Museum
Surrounded by a flowering garden, this pint-sized museum in a quaint 1840-built sea-captain's cottage is crammed with an eclectic collection. Highlights…
D
Dutch Museum
Inside a classic Saban gingerbread cottage, this teensy private museum and antique shop has a cluttered and eclectic assortment of Dutch tiles, lacework,…

M
Mt Scenery
A dormant volcano that last erupted in 1640, Mt Scenery (887m) is the pinnacle of pyramid-shaped Saba, and officially the highest point in the Kingdom of…
J
Jobean Glass Art Studio
Local artist Jobean works out of her colorful studio up on Booby Hill. During a half-day glass workshop, you’re set up with a torch and an unlimited…
C
Cove Bay
Behind a breakwater constructed from boulders to keep currents at bay, this little cove is one of the island's two ocean swimming spots, with excellent…
W
Wells Bay
Backed by sheer cliffs, this rocky little bay has a small, coarse sand beach that comes and goes depending on the northerly swell – ask locally to find…
S
Sacred Heart Church
Locals refer to this charming 1935-built stone Catholic church as ‘Saba’s Sistine Chapel’ thanks to Dutch-born local artist Heleen Cornet's colorful and…
M
Mary's Point
The far-flung village of Mary’s Point was once a 45-minute walk from even the next village. In 1934 the Dutch government decided to move every single…
H
Harry L Johnson Museum
Surrounded by a flowering garden, this pint-sized museum in a quaint 1840-built sea-captain's cottage is crammed with an eclectic collection. Highlights…
D
Dutch Museum
Inside a classic Saban gingerbread cottage, this teensy private museum and antique shop has a cluttered and eclectic assortment of Dutch tiles, lacework,…

Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Saba.

See
Mt Scenery
A dormant volcano that last erupted in 1640, Mt Scenery (887m) is the pinnacle of pyramid-shaped Saba, and officially the highest point in the Kingdom of…
See
Jobean Glass Art Studio
Local artist Jobean works out of her colorful studio up on Booby Hill. During a half-day glass workshop, you’re set up with a torch and an unlimited…
See
Cove Bay
Behind a breakwater constructed from boulders to keep currents at bay, this little cove is one of the island's two ocean swimming spots, with excellent…
See
Wells Bay
Backed by sheer cliffs, this rocky little bay has a small, coarse sand beach that comes and goes depending on the northerly swell – ask locally to find…
See
Sacred Heart Church
Locals refer to this charming 1935-built stone Catholic church as ‘Saba’s Sistine Chapel’ thanks to Dutch-born local artist Heleen Cornet's colorful and…
See
Mary's Point
The far-flung village of Mary’s Point was once a 45-minute walk from even the next village. In 1934 the Dutch government decided to move every single…
See
Harry L Johnson Museum
Surrounded by a flowering garden, this pint-sized museum in a quaint 1840-built sea-captain's cottage is crammed with an eclectic collection. Highlights…
See
Dutch Museum
Inside a classic Saban gingerbread cottage, this teensy private museum and antique shop has a cluttered and eclectic assortment of Dutch tiles, lacework,…

Guidebooks

Learn more about Saba

Ready to go? Get to the heart of Saba with one of Lonely Planet's in-depth, award-winning guidebooks.