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Getting
There
By
Air
All travel to Saba connects in St. Maarten, typically
on WINAIR.
Several major airlines from North America, Europe and
South America carry daily flights into St. Maarten (SXM).
Special charter flights area also available from major
cities during the winter season.
Caribbean Carriers to St. Maarten
BWIA
Caribbean Star
LIAT
International Carriers to St. Maarten
Air France
Air Transat
American Airlines
Continental Airlines
KLM
US Airways
WINAIR makes five or more flights each day to Saba to
Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport. Inter-island flights can
be arranged, some are scheduled weekly. The airport departure
tax is $5.00 to Windward Islands, $20.00 per person elsewhere.
Travel By Boat
Ferry service from St. Maarten is available via "The
Edge" (Wednesday through Sunday) departs 9:00 a.m.
from Simpson Bay/Pelican Marina - e-mail: aquamania@sintmaarten.net;
Tel: 599-544-2640 or Fax: 599-544-2476.
Travels to Saba from Sint Maarten on Wednesday, Thursday,
Friday, Saturday and Sundays, departing Sint Maarten at
9:00 a.m. for the 1 hour trip and returns from Saba, departing
Fort Bay harbor at 3:45 p.m., arriving back on Sint Maarten
at 5:00 p.m.
The rate is $60 roundtrip for adults and $30.00 for a
child. One way trips are available for Adults $40 and
children $20. Check in is at 8:125 a.m. on SXM and departs
sharp at 9 a.m.
Entry Requirements
Saba is a free port, there are no customs. A valid passport,
birth certificate or voter's registration is needed to
enter as well as a return or ongoing ticket. *
See Special Note
Residents of the following countries will need a visa
to enter the Netherlands Antilles.
Albania
Bulgaria
Republic of China
Colombia
Cuba
Dominican Republic
Haiti
Countries of former Yugoslavia, except Slovenia, Bosnia,
Herzegovina
Croatia
Former republic of Yugoslavia, Macedonia
Kampuchea
North Korea
Rumania
Countries of former Soviet Union
Armenia
Azerbaijan
White Russia
Estonia
Georgia
Kazakhstan
Kyrgyz
Latvia
Lithuania
Moldova
Ukraine
Uzbekistan
The Russian Federation
Tajikistan
Turkmenistan
Vietnam
Libya
Travel
Tips
Getting
Around
If you choose not to walk or hike, transportation, on
and around the island, is easy on the ten miles of concrete
roads, secured to the mountainside with hardy stone walls.
Taxi drivers in modern vans can be your guide for your
trip, or you can rent a car and explore on on your own.
Location
Saba is located just to the East of St. Croix and south
of St. Martin.
Language and Culture
Everyone speaks English, although Dutch is the official
language
Because of Saba's precipitous terrain, settling was difficult
and left for the hardy and the adventurous. Having been
under English, French, Spanish and Dutch rule for many
years, peace came with the Dutch Crown in 1816. The cultures
of the variety of settlers are now uniquely blended into
a hard-working people. Their history of farming, fishing
and seamanship account for their keen knowledge of their
nature. Many locals are well traveled and well educated;
conversations are easy and interesting. The Saba museums
house many artifacts and photographs, which tell the stories
of settling this remote island with its dramatic landscape.
Airport and Taxes
You must pay a $5 departure tax when leaving Saba by plane
for either St. Maarten or St. Eustatius, or $22 when continuing
on an international flight. (Note: when flying home through
St. Maarten from here, list yourself as "in transit"
and avoid repaying the tax in St. Maarten, which is $20.)
There's no departure tax when you leave by boat.
Entry Requirements
Saba is a free port, there are no customs. A valid passport,
birth certificate or voter's registration is needed to
enter as well as a return or ongoing ticket. *
See Special Note
Climate
Daytime temperature on Saba averages 80°F., give or
take a few degrees. Easterly trade winds and the mountain
create ever-changing cloud movements. Winter evenings
often require a light sweater. Temperatures will always
be cooler on the top of Mt. Scenery.
Time
Atlantic Standard (Eastern Standard + 1 hour).
Currency/Credit Cards
US dollar, all major credit cards are accepted
Electricity
US Standard, 110 volts
Telephone
Hotels have direct dialling worldwide. Landsradio has
phone booths in The Bottom and Windwardside for calls
anywhere in the world.
Shopping
Enter into any of the shops within the villages and you'll
find beautiful, delicate linen items with hand-drawn threadwork
designs. Artists find Saba a perfect inspiration for their
work. many watercolours, photographs, jewelry and books
are displayed in two art galleries.
Your shopping trip is not complete until you visit the
Windwardside's mini-mall. Its here you'll find take-home
souvenirs, tasty boutiques, dive shops, the tourist office,
an art gallery, two restaurant/bars, a supermarket and
a bank. The Mini Mall is where you'll pick up take home
memories of the beauty of Saba.
No trip to Saba would be complete without checking out
Saba Lace.
Saba lace is a unique needlecraft painstakingly created
by the industrious women in Saba. Saba lace, also known
as Spanish work has a special history . In the 1870's,
Mary Gertrude Hassell Johnson was sent by her parents
to study at a convent in Caracas, Venezuela. While she
was there, the nuns taught Miss Hassell to create the
intricate designs of this needlecraft. Miss Hassell brought
the craft back to Saba and in 1884, when regular mail
service first connected the island to the outside world,
the wives and daughters of Saba's seafaring men turned
the craft into a mail-order cottage industry.
How the Saba women marketed their needlework demonstrates
their ingenuity. As boxes of merchandise were sent from
the United States to Saba, the ladies would copy the addresses
of the American companies and then write them a letter
explaining their work and the prices. Often a sympathetic
person receiving the letter would post it on the company
bulletin board and ultimately the lace makers would receive
orders for their work. By 1928, the Sabans were exporting
almost $15,000 worth of needlework annually!
Now, more than a century later, the skill learned by a
young Saban girl, still provides a means of support for
many families on the island. Blouses, dresses, tablecloths
an napkins are only a few of the pieces the Saban women
create in a variety of colors.
Saba Lace is just one example of the unique beauty that
is Saba. We hope you enjoy owning and using your piece
of this special needlework.
Saba Lace is available at:
Saba Lace Boutique - Hell's Gate
Heritage Shoppe - Winwardside
Peggy's Boutique - Winwardside
Hellen's Notions & Fabrics - Winwardside
Artisan Foundation - Botom
Taxes and Tipping
The government room tax of 5% is automatically added to
your bill. A service charge of 10% or 15% will be added
to your bill. For taxis and guides, tip at your own discretion.
Banking
The official currency is the NAfl (guilder) exchanged
at about NAfl 1.80 = $1.00 US. Travellers cheques and
US dollars, as well as major credit cards, are widely
accepted. Two branch banks are open on Saba.
RBTT Bank (Royal Bank of Trinidad and Tobago)
Windwardside, Saba
Tel: 416-2454/2453
Fax: 416-2452
Opening Hours 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
First Caribbean International Bank
Windwardside, Saba
Tel: 416-2216
Fax: 416-2475
Opening Hours 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m
Medical Facilities
The A.M. Edwards Medical Center is located on Saba. A
resident doctor and registered nurses oversee this medical
facility. Saba also has the Saba Marine Park Hyperbaric
Facility.
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