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.

Top attractions

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

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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 the Netherlands. It's covered by elfin forest (cloud forest) with 200-year-old mountain mahogany trees smothered in orchids, bromeliads and other epiphytes. The Mt Scenery Trail starts just west of the Trail Shop in Windwardside and climbs 1064 stairs. Check the weather forecast before setting out as the steps can become extremely slippery in rain.
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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 supply of thin glass shafts that you melt down into swirling balls or cylinders, before making beads of all shapes and sizes while incorporating gold foil and quirky objects.
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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 snorkeling in calm weather. It's sunniest in the morning; there's a small strip of coarse sand but no amenities. From the airport, it's a 150m walk downhill.
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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 out when's best to visit. There's great snorkeling; rent gear from Sea Saba in Windwardside. It's about 2.5km from The Bottom. Consider walking down and arranging for a taxi to save yourself the thigh-burning climb back into the village (US$16).
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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 stunningly detailed altar mural, which infuses biblical scenes with a Saban rainforest twist.
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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 villager and house to an area behind Windwardside known as the ‘Promised Land,’ thus lessening the isolation of being so far from any other signs of civilization. You can see the ruins of Mary’s Point while hiking on the North Coast Trail (guide required, check with the Trail Shop).
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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 include vintage photographs of Dutch royalty, a 100-year-old organ harmonium and a dining table set with 19th-century Wedgwood china. A museum guide brings the stories behind the objects to life. Outside, look for the large cistern used to gather water and, above it, the family cemetery.
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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, porcelain, crystal, copper engravings, paintings, mirrors and furniture ranging from 150 to 400 years old.