The Trip to Saba:
We head for the island of Saba. a small 5 square mile island in the Kingdom of the Netherlands. If you have ever seen the original King Kong movie from the 1930’s, “Skull Island” is actually Saba’s silhouette. It isn’t where they filmed, but hey, you have to take what fame you can get.
We could fly to Saba via WinAir for a thrill and onto the shortest commercial runway in the world (a little shorter than an aircraft carrier) but want at least one boat ride. So we have booked the Dawn II ferry. It is a smaller and less glamorous boat than the other ferries (not exaggerating here), but the only one on this day, and it offers a free Heineken! Holding up to 50 passengers and painted like a Heineken beer, most of us sit outside the main interior cabin under the canopy, watching clouds form over a shrinking Sint Maarten. One crew member announces a clue to the trip with “The port side is the wetter side”!
The Dawn II “Heineken” ferry leaves Sint Maarten for Saba Island. Clouds are brewing!
We came for some adventure, and the 26 mile 90 minute ride to Saba is no exception! Pitching seas on this particular day toss the boat about, and for a few on board, they toss their lunch also. Water occasionally sprays over the boat like ocean waves on rocks.
The Dutch Captain who has done this a gazillion times removed doubt and danger from my mind before we left port just by chatting with him and so I plan for a safe yet memorable adventure. So lets see. Fly in to the shortest runway or boat on a pitching ferry? You choose! It is a small adventure for spending time on a wonderful island.
Arriving late twilight we check in with customs, and load into the van cab sent by the Hummingbird Lodge. The ride to the 1200 foot elevation of the lodge up “The Road” is the next adventure. With just enough room for two cars to pass on this one road transcending the island, pulses raise a notch again! Two foot high curbs are often the only thing between van wheels and over a 500 foot drop straight down.
The Road on Saba, Steep Cliffs with just a curb in between
The one Heineken on the boat now seems insufficient. On the other side of the road, a vertical rock wall. In between, two cars passing with no room to spare, casually tooting hello with our wheels inches from the curb as he chats with us! Does he not know one small distraction could send us over the edge?
But we trust the driver like we trusted the boat captain (having no choice, really). Peddy, our driver is a skilled Saban at his job and unloads luggage at the top of Hummingbird Villa’s very steep driveway. We are greeted by a friendly young couple running the Villa.
We three couples occupy the two bedrooms in main lodge, and a cottage by the pool. Views from a large deck overlook, as we learn at daylight, stunning views of the ocean, airport far below, and several other islands.
Saba’s thrill ride airport seen from Hummingbird Villa
Steep sloping hillside covered with vegetation and exotic fruit trees loaded full with fruit that we cannot name plummet to the water 1200 feet below. Behind us are “Saba Cottages”, white cottages with red tile roofs seemingly held up by glue to the side of the mountain.
Traditional Saban Cottages glued to the hillsides
Goats and chickens roam free range, bleating and crowing at dawn. We settle in for our four day stay, stirred to explore Saba, and hike up Mount Scenery, the highest point in the Kingdom of the Netherlands!