10 Best Sights in Saba

Although you can dive, fish, boat, and anchor in the waters of this marine park, which surrounds the entire island, its primary purpose is protect Saba's maritime environments. The visitor information center offers talks and slide shows for divers and snorkelers and provides literature on the varied marine life. Saba's offshore drops go down as far as 200 feet, with unique pinnacles at about 70 feet. Divers are charged $3 per dive to help maintain the park facilities.

Sheer drop offs into the sea all around the island make beaches almost nonexistent. Cove Bay, near the airport, is the exception. Here, a small tidal pool is protected by a manmade rocky breakwater. Renovations in 2024 added a cement staircase and ramps to make access for swimming and snorkeling (which can be excellent when the water is calm) easier, and sand was imported from St. Maarten to make the setting "beachier." There is also a small playground and restrooms, but there are no places to buy food and drink or rent any gear.

Stone and concrete steps—1,015 of them—rise to a mahogany grove at the roughly 2,900-foot summit of this mountain. The steps pass giant elephant ears, ferns, begonias, mangoes, palms, and orchids—six ecosystems in all. Staff at the Trail Shop in Windwardside can provide a guide (by advanced reservation). Have your hotel pack a lunch, wear sturdy shoes, and take a jacket and water. After it rains, the trails can be slippery, so a walking stick and good hiking boots can be help, too. It's best to begin what will be a 2½- to 3-hour round-trip hike in the early morning.

Despite its name, Saba's seat of government is really halfway up a mountain at 820 feet above sea level. It is, however, set in the bottom of a bowl-shape valley. The governor's mansion, next to Wilhelmina Park, has fancy fretwork, a steeply pitched roof, and wraparound double galleries. On the other side of town is the Wesleyan Holiness Church, a small stone structure with white fretwork. Though it's been virtually reconstructed over the years, its original four walls date from 1919. Go inside and look around before strolling beyond to a lookout point, where you can see hundreds of rough-hewn steps leading down to Ladder Bay. This and Fort Bay were the two landing sites from which Saba's first settlers had to haul themselves and their possessions up to the heights. Sabans sometimes walk down to Ladder Bay to picnic. Think long and hard before you do: heading down is one thing, climbing back up is another

The runway at the only place on the island that's flat enough for planes to land is one of the world's shortest. Only STOL (short takeoff and landing) prop planes dare land on the approximately 1,300-foot strip that's bookended by 100-foot drop offs into the crashing surf below. The airport also has a helipad.

At the end of The Road, Fort Bay's 277-foot pier is where all goods are imported or exported. The area is also the site of the ferry dock, the island's only gas station, the SeaSaba dive operator, and a decompression chamber. You'll also find a few small snack places and a big outdoor welcome mural that's a great spot for selfies.

Small signs mark this 160-year-old former sea captain's home, surrounded by lemongrass, clover, and a playground for small children. It has been renovated, but period pieces like the handsome mahogany four-poster bed, an antique organ, and the kitchen's rock oven still remain. You can also look at old documents, such as a letter a Saban wrote after the hurricane of 1772, in which he sadly says, "We have lost our little all." The stroll to the museum down the stone-walled Park Lane is one of the prettiest walks in the Caribbean.

Displays at this small museum reveal some surprising facts about Saba's past thanks to the diligent efforts of island archaeologists, who encourage local youth to take part in their digs. Be sure to check the Facebook page for details on the latest special exhibitions and events.

The island's second-largest village, perched at 1,968 feet, commands magnificent views of the Caribbean Sea. Amid the oleander bushes are rambling (and hilly!) lanes and narrow alleyways; clusters of tiny, neat houses, cafés and shops; and the Saba Tourist Office. At the village's northern end, the Church of St. Paul's Conversion is a colonial building with a red-and-white steeple. A large graveyard is across from the church. On Thursday afternoon, you can see the famous Saba Lace Ladies at work in the community center.

The Road makes 14 hairpin turns up nearly 2,000 vertical feet to what was once called Hell's Gate—due to the work it took to haul everything up the steep mountain from the ships at sea to build the community—but is now known more as Zion's Hill. The stone Holy Rosary Church here looks medieval but was built in 1962.