Saba
Saba is a very small island nation that is part of The Netherlands that along with Bonaire and Sint Eustatius makes up the Caribbean Netherlands. The island is not too far from Sint Maarten but it’s a world away from the hustle and bustle and party atmosphere sometimes found there. If you want to visit a quiet and relaxed island with very friendly people, then Saba is a great place for you. It has very rugged terrain as it’s built on a over 2,000 foot tall volcano with relatively little flat land. It’s airport has the smallest commercial airport in the world at 1300 feet long runway. The island has a cloud forest, Volcanic beaches and more. We took a day trip from Sint Maarten to Saba in December of 2024. Here is our adventure there.
Getting to Saba and Transportation
Being an island there are only two ways to get to Saba (by air or by sea). We took a fast ferry called “The Edge” that took about 90 minutes to get to Saba. There is a small port built in the 1970s that replaced the 800 steps up the cliff that used to be the way to get items onto the island. For example, they carried a piano all the way up the stairs. The other way is fly into the Juancho E. Yrausquin International airport. Due to its size and that it has a cliff on either end of the runway only small planes with very skilled pilots that fly from Sint Maarten. As for transport I really recommend letting a local drive as the roads have tight curves and due to that the speed limit in cities is 12 mph and outside of cities 25mph. There is only one road around the island that was not built until the 1940s. You can also hike on the island as well.
The ferry we took from Sint Maarten started at the Simpson Bay Police Station where our passports were checked for exiting the county and got our round-trip ferry tickets. There is a small dock there where we watched massive yachts leaving the island through the draw bridge nearby. On our return the Sint Maarten authorities at the police station checked our passport when re-entering the country.
Country Information
Saba is a small island nation part of the Dutch Caribbean in the Northern Lessor Antilles. It is somewhat remote compared to other islands but a ferry ride or short flight will get you there just fine. As a US Citizen, no visa is currently needed as you go through passport control to get your stamp on arrival. The official languages are English and Dutch so there were absolutely no language barrier issues when visiting the island. The official currency on the island is the US Dollar so there are no currency exchanges needed while in Saba. The island is small and we found on our experiences it was much like visiting a rural town where most people know each other. Because of this we found the island to be very safe as we walked around on our own during some free time on our tour.
A fun fact about Saba is that it was the island used to represent in filming Skull Island for the original King Kong movie.
Saba Island Tour
After our around 90 minute fast ferry ride from Sint Maarten arrived at Fort Bay, Saba. The ride was very smooth heading to Saba with calm waters. We passed by some of the island where we could see tall cliffs below the towering volcano poking out from the deep Caribbean/Atlantic waters. Fort Bay is a very small town with a few port related shops and a small customs building with a single passport officer checking and stamping passports. The ferry waiting room was a a converted shipping container. We hopped in a van with our tour group for a tour of the island but some on our ship went hiking through the rugged landscape on their own.
"The Road"
There is only one road that connects the cities, port and airport around the island that locals call “The Road”. For many years no one thought it could be built due to the extreme terrain but when there is a will there is a way. They manually built walls and carved out the road that winds up and down the mountain with many curves and switchbacks. It’s why I recommend talking a tour or letting a local drive. We headed from sea level up to the top and passed through the capital city named “The Bottom” since it lies on the a small valley below the volcano. We headed straight to view point that overlooked the beautiful blue sea, green hills, and craggy cliffs hundreds of feet below us. We also got a view of the world’s smallest commercial airport. It’s a very small runway with a air traffic control tower and small terminal. At the end of each end of the runway perched on a small flat area has a cliff that dives to the sea on each end. It would make for an exhilarating or scary flight depending on how you look at it. There was a nice church as well at the view point.
Cove Bay Beach
We started driving down hill towards the small airport to head to one of the few beaches they have on the island. Saba is an adventure island where you can hike and enjoy a quieter lifestyle. It’s not a big beach destination like Sint Maarten or other Caribbean Islands. We passed by the airport that was closed due to no wind that day as planes need wind on that runway to takeoff. They have a solar power area to help create green energy power. We are seeing more Islands and smaller countries move towards green energy as we travel.
Cove Bay Beach is fairly small and has volcanic sand beach. There is a break water so you can swim in calm water. They do have a few beach chairs as well. We did not swim but just enjoyed the gorgeous view of the ocean crashing into the cliff walls. It was a very relaxing place to visit.
Windward Side, Saba
After our tour we headed to the town of Windward Side where we could get lunch and walk around the town. On our tour we had lunch included so we headed over to a small hotel’s nice restaurant and got a very nice lunch is a pretty setting. On Saba you will not find chain hotels are large resorts but mostly small boutique hotels like Juliana’s Hotel and the Tropics Café we ate at. The service was great and the food was very tasty. It was international food and not really local to Saba. I was surprised to see that most of the staff was from The Philippines. Filipinos are amazing workers and people who are very friendly and kind. The restaurant is around the hotel pool and has a great view of the forest and island. It was decorated well for Christmas.
After our lunch, we wanted to take the opportunity to visit a museum on the island, do a bit of shopping and see as much of the quiet town as we could. We headed over to the Harry L. Johnson Museum that was a short walk from the restaurant. It is the home of a 19th century Sea Captain and is run by a descendant of the family. The museum shows what life was like in Saba in the past and has pictures of things such as Royal visits by the Dutch Royal family. You can see what the bedroom, kitchen and other rooms would have been like with interesting old tools that I had not seen before such as a coal iron that looked like an elephant for clothing. The museum owner gave us a great tour of the museum and explained the way life was from a personal perspective from her family. She moved to the US when she was younger but wanted to go back to her roots and a more laid-back pace of life. The piano in the living room was the one they hauled up the 800 stairs in the former port for the island. They even had a letter from George H.W. Bush thanking the Saban people for the troops they sent in support of the 1st Gulf War. She showed us handmade lace dresses and other items made by hand which is a specialty in Saba. It is the best museum we saw on the island that chronicles the Saban way of life in the past. It was only a couple dollars for the visit and well worth it! We spent a little time enjoying the grounds of the house that were full of bunnies, a gazebo and plenty of plants.
We wanted to take a bit of time to explore the rest of the small city and shop for the main souvenir from the island which is lacework. We walked past small businesses and a nice historic church and cemetery. Being a small island and a small town there aren’t too many souvenir shops. We did find one where we bought magnets, shirts, postcards and other items. Like anywhere else for the most part credit card is accepted in places like that. We headed by some nice small restaurants in the shopping center to the “Handmade in Saba” Store. There the ladies of the island sell lacework, knitted ornaments, paintings and more artwork. They only take cash (US Dollars) so we bought a few very nice items from them.
The Bottom
Our driver came by the Saba Tourist Bureau to pick up the group to head to the capital city of The Bottom for a quick tour. We passed by the small government building, their hospital and a small museum. We headed over to the Sacred Heart Church, which is a catholic church in The Bottom. The church has beautiful paintings around the altar area. It is full of angels that our guide let us know are children from Saba at the time the painting was being made. After this quick visit we visited “The Ladder”, which is the tall staircase from the cliff to the sea. It was time to head back to Fort Bay to get on our ferry to head back to Sint Maarten.
Departure and Tips
We got to the small port area and headed over to the passport control to get our exit stamp and to check in. The ferry was much more crowded than when we came to the island. With the airport closed for the day people were heading by ferry to Sint Maarten. A light rain shower came though as we waited to board and there weren’t many places to go to be covered so we got a bit wet. We then boarded the ferry that was pretty much full this time around, but we still got a cold drink from the crew like last time. The wind had picked up, so the once calm seas were now rough. As we got closer to Sint Maarten, we were able to watch flying fish pop out of the water to fly and hungry seagulls chasing them as they flew. Once we got back to Sint Maarten, we went inside the police station for a quick passport check and then were done with our nice day trip.
Doing Saba in a day like we did is very possible. It’s a small island so you can see the cities and major spots within a few hours. If you want to hike and visit more of the interior of the island, then you should consider spending a couple days there. It’s a place where you can relax and go at a little slower pace. We had good cell phone service but it’s a place to get away from the mad pace of life in many countries. Going by ferry I think would be the most reliable way to get there but if the sea is very rough it might be an issue. I would like to take the flight someday and experience the intense landing on the short runway. We were supposed to go to St. Barts, but I am glad we went to quiet and unique Saba with is rugged terrain, red rooftops, and friendly people. Give the island a chance and you will be glad as we were that we made the trip!
If you are Interested in this trip:
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Day Trip to Saba from Sint Maarten (click below):
