Saba: Smallest Permanent Populated Place in the Americas

Welcome to Saba. The unspoiled queen of the Caribbean. Saba is the smallest island in the Netherlands (Antilles) and boasts the beautiful Mt. Scenery (which is a volcano) the highest point in the Kingdom. Join us while we discovered this unspoiled jewel, hike up the tallest mountain in the Netherlands, and enjoy the extraordinary and diverse culture of the locals during Saba Day.

Why should you choose Saba for your next Caribbean adventure? Saba isn't called the unspoiled queen of the Caribbean for no reason. Boasting the smallest permanent population (2000) in the Americas, Saba is an island that most ppl haven't heard about. It is located very close to the vastly popular cruise destination Sint Maarten (Saint Maarten) as well as a ferry ride away from the British territory Anguilla, and the very wealthy Saint Barts.

The first inhabitants of the island arrived over 3000 years ago and were of Taino descent (Ciboney) followed by the Arawak and Carib ppl. In the mid 1600's the first European colonists arrived. The island is broken up into the amazingly named cough

The Bottom which is the Capital
Windwardside which is a very cute, more bustling area
St Johns and Zion Hill.

Along with its amazingly named districts, its main road is called... "the Road"

Saba is also known for it being one of the first Caribbean territories to impose a ban on single-use products, such as plastic/styrofoam straws, utensils, bags, etc.

So how was Saba?

Well, it was an adventure to get there. Saba boasts the smallest runway in the world at Juancho E Yrausquin Airport. It's about the size of an aircraft carrier. We took the plane. The alternative method of arrival is by ferry, however depending on your ability to handle motion sickness, your budget (or lack thereof) or your need for time, there is also the ferry which takes about 2 hours each way. After you arrive in Saba, there is a small customs line in the tiny airport and usually a few local drivers are there to take you to your destination (with most being in The Bottom or Windwardside). Our stay at the Queens Hotel, Bar & Kitchen took us through the beautiful windward side, and up past the bottom. While a pricier stay on the island, it was a beautiful experience with views overlooking the red-topped houses of the bottom.

From the Queen's Hotel, Bar & Kitchen, you are able to catch a close trail to Mt. Scenery and enjoy a day hike. However the one directly from the Queen's Hotel, Bar, and Kitchen requires hiking boots, so we elected to catch a ride to the Crispeen Trail instead. Mt Scenery has many entrances that allow guests to hike to the highest point in the Netherlands, varying in difficulty.

However aside from Mt Scenery, and more importantly so, one of the best things about Saba is their ever so friendly locals. A diverse group of ppl, ranging from mixes of Natives, those from afro Caribbean descent, dutch, and Asian. And a treat we did incidentally get to enjoy was their national holiday of Saba Day. We, unfortunately, didn't get to enjoy the entire holiday, however we were able to enjoy the begining of Saba day. A delightful event filled with locals, tourists, scuba, diving and food.

00:00 - 00:28 - Saba photo Intro
00:29 - 01:14 - Worlds shortest runway
01:15 - 01:39 - Saba Arrival, quietest airport
01:40 - 02:27 - Queen's Hotel, bar & kitchen
02:28 - 03:22 - Gorgeous view of the Bottom
03:23 - 08:36 - Mt Scenery Hike & Saba History
08:37 - 09:12 - Winward Side
09:13 - 11:57 - To the Bottom
11:58 - 12:28 - The Bottom
12:30 - 12:57 - Queen's Hotel begining of Saba Day
12:58 - 17:54 - Saba Day


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inaudio - MokkaMusic - Deep Dive*