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Click for more information about Saba
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MTP Member Photos - Saba
 by Jorge Sanchez.JPG "Photo: by Jorge Sanchez: Saba island. My hotel (for free!) by Jorge Sanchez")
.JPG "Photo: by Jorge Sanchez: Saba. Catholic church and cemetry (by Jorge Sanchez)")
.JPG "Photo: by Jorge Sanchez: Saba. Hitchiking back to the airport (by Jorge Sanchez)")
MTP Member Posts - Saba
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2014 Oct by Craig Roark |
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An island that is part of Netherlands lies about 40km from Sint Maarten. It has the smallest airstrip in the world not to mention regular inter island ferries arriving at port. The island is hilly with five main towns on this island of 2,000 people. The Bottom, StJohns, Windwardside,Hells Gate, Zion Gate. The flora is plush giving hiking an adventure. The houses are island coded to specification of gingerbread style with red roofs. There are no beaches on the island yet place to scuba off the coast. The local lace is a traditional souvenir from Saba while the local liquor is called ''Saba Spice'' which is rum that's cask with fennel seed, nutmeg served over ice. The weather is temperate tropical especially in Windwardside which lies at a higher elevation yet still warm. Few things can compare to this island. | |
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2010 Jan by Veikko Huhtala* |
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Next day after our visit to St. Eustatius we booked Edge Ferry from Simpson Bay in Sint Maarten (Pelican Marina Hotel) Return ticket to Saba cost 75 US dollars plus 12 dollars port fee each and it takes one hour and ten minutes to get there. Saba is very mountainous island with only one road (from harbour to airport) When you come to harbour there is a minibus waiting you, which takes you up to villages. We went to St. John’s village and stayed some hours taking many pictures and spending one an hour in hotel restaurant. Afterwards same minibus took us back to harbour by ten dollars return each. Saba is very small island by area, only 13 square kilometres with 1400 people. You can also fly, but I must say that the airport is terrific. It is world’s shortest commercial airport, only 400 meters long from sea to sea and elevation about 20 meters. Only Winair is operating these flights between Saba – Sint Maarten and Saba – St. Eustatius. We also landed there one day before when flying to St. Eustatius. It was nice experience anyway. | |
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2008 Apr by Jorge Sanchez |
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The first interesting sight that one has when landing in Saba is the airport itself, located besides a cliff, which impress you. I walked up to the main village of Saba, The Bottom, which is the capital of the island. Drivers look at you as if offering you for a free ride, but I made a sign that I preferred to walk. There was a trekking going up to the highest peak (which is the highest peak of Nederland, if we include the Nederland Antilles), an extinct volcano of about 900 meters high. I walked up for about one and a half hours, but seeing no end soon, and fearing the darkness falling in the middle of my trekking, I descended at about half the way and look for a place to have my daily meal before looking for a convenient and not expensive hostel to sleep. I only visited during two days Saba Island. I remember the exuberant nature of the island sheltering so many gardens and lovely trees. I entered in the three churches, one of them Catholic. Saba looked a paradise to live in. The next day I walked down to the airport and flew to Sint Eustatius. .......................................................................................................... IN SPANISH: ISLA DE SABA (Inscrito en la Lista Indicativa de la organización UNESCO). UNESCO describe de la siguiente guisa este lugar candidato a devenir en un próximo futuro un Patrimonio de la Humanidad: Saba es un volcán extinto en el Mar Caribe. Su excepcional entorno natural y su relativo aislamiento, han creado una comunidad distintiva en la isla. Saba posee una marina notable y ecosistemas terrestres además de una gran variedad de especies. El ambiente cultural ha sido creado por los pueblos que han habitado sucesivamente la isla. Sus asentamientos son un resultado inmediato de la estructura social incrustada en condiciones históricas y orográficas de la isla. El ambiente cultural consta de cuatro elementos principales: • Restos arqueológicos con cerámicas de los sitios amerindios y los asentamientos europeos históricos. • Pueblos tradicionales cuya arquitectura vernácula exhibe la estructura típica de los crecientes asentamientos. • Casas de campo típicos de Saba con sus cisternas y cementerios de la familia. • Infraestructura característica que consiste en caminos escalonados, senderos históricos e instalaciones de captación de agua. ---------------------------------------------------------- A veces he tenido éxito practicando avión-stop, pero no en la isla de San Martín, a pesar de que lo intenté dos mañanas seguidas. Al final tuve que comprar un vuelo triangular: Saint Martin - Saba - Sint Eustatius - Saint Martin. No pretendía explorar la isla de Saba en profundidad visitando los cuatro elementos que señala UNESCO. Me contenté con conocer superficialmente la isla y realizar un trekking a la cima más alta del Reino de los Países Bajos: el Monte Scenery, de 888 metros, que es un volcán potencialmente activo. El aterrizaje en el aeropuerto de la isla me cortó la respiración. La pista es tan corta que temí que el avión cayera al agua. Desde allí caminé hasta la primera población, The Bottom, la capital de la isla. Fue fundada sobre un cráter. Los amables conductores paraban sus coches junto a mí y se ofrecían a llevarme, pero yo declinaba con gentileza, ya que deseaba sentir la isla bajo mis pies. En The Bottom visité un museo, las tres iglesias de diferentes denominaciones, un supermercado para comprarme un bocadillo de mortadela para la cena, y la parada del autobús en forma de kiosco, en cuyo banco de madera pasaría la noche. No necesitaba nada más. Por la mañana visité la Oficina de Turismo, donde me proveí de mapas gratuitos de la isla, y emprendí un corto pero agradable trekking que me tomó menos de dos horas a través de una naturaleza exuberante, hasta el pico Scenery. El sendero estaba muy bien señalizado; era imposible extraviarse por entre la maleza. Desde la cima, la vista era espectacular. A pesar de que ese trekking no estaba incluido entre los cuatro elementos de la lista del Patrimonio de la Humanidad de Saba, fue lo que más me complació de la isla. A media tarde, cuando llegó la hora, volé con destino a Sint Eustatius. | |
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2008 Feb by Michael Novins |
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February 2008 -- I flew to Saba from St. Maarten on Winair (http://www.fly-winair.com/) and visited Windwardside, where I had lunch at Scout's Place, which offers clear views over the island (http://www.sabadivers.com/english/bar_restaurant.htm). Saba is the smallest island of the Netherlands Antilles, but contains the highest point of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. | |
MTP Visitors to Saba
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