8 Reasons You Should Add Saba to Your Caribbean Travel Bucket List

If you've never heard of Saba, you're not alone. Few Caribbean-bound travelers consider this five-square-mile island when they're making travel plans, but they really should. A municipality of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Saba has no large resorts, casinos, shopping malls or beaches, so it's definitely not for everyone. But Saba just might be the island for you. Click through to discover eight reasons why.

Saba's Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport (SAB) has the shortest commercial runway in the world, and pilots must be specially certified to land on the waterfront strip, which is roughly the same length as that on an aircraft carrier. Arriving here is an exhilarating and nerve-wracking experience, but, fortunately, Winair's captains know the way home.

Since it's only a 13-minute flight from St. Maarten, the island known as the Unspoiled Queen makes an easy day trip. Nervous flyer? The new Makana ferry ($80) operates four times a week from Bobby's Marina on the Dutch side, as does The Edge, which departs Simpson Bay thrice weekly, and offers packages that include lunch and an island tour for around $200. Although you still have to apply for travel authorization no matter how long you plan to stay, as of February 18, day trippers are no longer required to do a pre-arrival COVID test.

Between its two hotels, villas and cottages, Saba has only 124 rooms available for overnight stays. But its limited accommodations mean that the island never feels crowded or overrun with visitors, and you get to experience the island's authentic, unhurried vibe. And unlike some other exclusive islands, snobbery isn't included.

With distinctive red roofs, white walls and forest green trim, every home on Saba looks as if it could be on the cover of Charming Caribbean Cottage Magazine (if such a thing existed). There are no ugly concrete high-rises here, and islanders have agreed to maintain the traditional style of architecture that dates from hundreds of years ago. Instagram-worthy houses, often surrounded by bougainvillea-strewn picket fences and low stone walls, await on every corner, so keep your camera ready.

The tip of an underwater volcano, Saba rises sharply from sea to sky with no permanent beaches. But what it does have is excellent hiking trails. Mount Scenery, at 2,910 feet, is the highest point on the island (and in the Kingdom of the Netherlands) and also the most popular. But there are 18 others, which range from easy to challenging and offer good exercise and great views.

Saba's unique topography also means plenty of underwater action for divers. Shore diving isn't allowed, but the reefs, seamounts and structures created by underwater lava flows offshore are worth the boat trip. Listed at the top of divers' to-do lists are The Pinnacles, thin spires that rise from the seafloor. One, the Eye of The Needle, peaks 90 feet below the surface and is covered in sponges and coral.

In my three days on Saba (spent mostly in the village of Windwardside and the capital, The Bottom) I don't think anyone ever walked by without offering me a greeting and a smile. Everyone I met seemed truly interested in sharing their island, never jaded or offhand. Perhaps that's because Saba receives so few visitors. Whatever the reason, Sabans' warmth is appreciated.

Unique to the island is Saba Spice, a locally made rum infused with cinnamon bark, fennel seed and cloves. It makes an excellent aperitif, digestive or topping for ice cream. "Saba Lace" handkerchiefs and accessories, made using a drawn threadwork technique by women here for more than a century, also make excellent gifts.