Saba Wild Side Travel Guide
Last updated on March 20th, 2024 at 06:09 pm
Use this Guide to Saba to prepare your trip to the most pristine island of the Caribbean.
Where and what is Saba?
Saba is Island is part of a special municipality of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, along with the islands of St. Eustatius and Bonaire. It is a small 13 square kilometres (5.0 sq mi) island in the northeastern Caribbean Sea east of the US Virgin Islands and South of St Maarten.
Why go to Saba – what can I do in Saba?
It may be a tiny island, but it is a tiny island with a lot going on if you are a hiker or diver, or if you just like to go somewhere very different and not well known.
Saba is known as “the Unspoiled Queen of the Caribbean.” Its easy to see why when you get there. Not only is the island surrounded by the Saba Marine Park with 30 dive sites, it also has an incredible array of diverse terrains from seaside tide pools up to Saba’s cloud forest. Throughout the island are hiking trails with stunning views and fascinating pasts. And for bird watchers a wide range of Caribbean birdlife lives on or visits the island.
Drive or hitchhike on the “road that couldn’t be built” and arrive on a wild flight into the airport with the world’s shortest commercial runway. There is plenty to do on this island and the bonus is that the food is fantastic too! This is an off the beaten path island especially good for the outdoor lover.
Climate and when to go to Saba
Saba has a tropical climate. Average daytime temperature is 28-30c with nights around 23c.
The rainy season and hurricane season is June- October with hurricanes more likely from August.
Visit from November to May to avoid rain and hurricanes.
How do I get to Saba?
Fly or ferry!
Winair has five flights a day from St. Maarten (SXM).
The Matakana Ferry has services throughout the week from St Maarten, but not every day. Check the schedule and prices for the Matakana Ferry.
The Edge Ferry does day trips to Saba on Tuesday and Friday.
The Edge leaves from Simpson Bay, St Maarten, while the Makana leaves from Philipsburg, St Maarten.
What Language do they speak on Saba?
Despite being part of the Netherlands, the language used in Saba is English.
What money do they use on Saba?
The US dollar. There are two ATMs – one in Windwardside and one in The Bottom.
Where to stay on Saba
There are no all inclusive hotels in Saba, nor are there backpacker hostels. In fact Saba has limited accommodation – which makes it so nice when you do stay there as there are no hordes of tourists!
I stayed at the friendly El Momo Cottages which was perfect for me as it is close to many of the walks, and you are halfway between The Bottom and the airport which makes walking or hitching to other walks relatively easy. The quiet – except the gorgeous frogs, the hammocks, the sea views, the flowers and the fun hospitality were unforgettable. I do recommend it – although you need to be able to manage stairs and its not right in the heart of Windwardside, but is close enough.
If you want a hotel, and a plus for your sustainable travel (i.e. not booking large foreign owned hotels where 80% of the money goes overseas) the Cottage Club Hotel is the only locally owned hotel on the island. However, there are a number of cottages, and villas like El Momo Cottages.
I must also mention Juliana’s Hotel is a highly rated place to stay (5/5) with varying room types to suit different budgets. It also has the the Tipsy Goat pool bar that has many options of tropical drinks, beer and cocktails and is worth a visit!
Finally, the only 5 star hotel on the island, the Queens Garden Resort and Spa, also has excellent reviews, and excellent views too! It features a great pool and a day spa, as well as the Birds Nest for a romantic special dining treat!
How to get around on Saba
You can hire a car, take a taxi, hitchhike or walk. There is no public transport on Saba.
Hire car companies and taxis are listed here.
Money saving tips for Saba
- To get there definitely check the online web prices for flying – they can go as low as $45 one way which can be cheaper than the ferry.
- Its quite good to fly one way and ferry the other for a different perspective – but it does cost relatively more for a one-way trip than a return on the Matakana ferry.
- You can save money if you are going to Statia or St Kitts by using the ferry service direct from Saba – you don not need to go back to St Maarten first.
- If you have a lot of gear, e.g. diving gear – take the ferry as there is no weight limit.
- If you want to fly one way fly into Saba – if you fly out there is a $10 departure tax on top of the fare.
- You can hire a car, but walk and hitch-hike (if you feel comfortable hitching) to save money. If you need to get picked up after a hike then use a taxi. Hiring a car is not really going to give you value for money.
- Stay somewhere you can cook your own food. Bring some basics from St Martin where food is much cheaper. (But it would be a real shame to miss out on some of the offerings of the local eateries.)
- Check if your accommodation does free pick up from the airport or harbor to save a taxi fare.
Stay safe on Saba
Saba is one of the safest places you can go. However, if you need emergency services call 911. For Police or the Hospital you can also call 112.
Females traveling alone should take normal precautions but it feels as safe as it is. I hitch-hiked with no problems
You should always travel with travel insurance – most important being to cover you in case of an accident requiring medical treatment.
Avoid hurricane season (June to October) and if you don’t -the only advice I can give is to make sure you have travel insurance
Food on Saba
Saba has fabulous food. It actually does! A list of all eateries is kindly provided by the Saba Tourism.
Bizzy B. Bakery is a local favorite for morning coffee and muffins – very good food at good prices.
Chez Bubba is also absolutely delicious and reasonably priced. Tropics Cafe has great lobster – and just great food in general for a reasonable price.
Brigadoon is romantically lit by candlelight and also has great lobster. Eating in the Bird’s Nest table at the Queen’s Garden Resort and Spa is another romantic treat. Your (sole) table is sitting up in an ancient mango tree!
Rendezvous at Ecolodge is in the gorgeous setting of the Saba National Rainforest and the food is great too. Swinging Bar is a really fun bar with great owners and really good BBQ’s.
Ohh I could go on an on about food in Saba – unusual for me – but the food is great on Saba.
Other things to know about Saba
Saba is only 13 square kilometres (5.0 sq mi) large.
The area code for Saba is +599
There are no sandy beaches – but there are swim spots and the diving is magnificent! Some accommodation has pools – perfect!
The Saba Tourist Office is very friendly and very helpful.
Shore diving is prohibited on Saba.
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