Saba and Mount Scenery

Saba, the smallest island of the Dutch Caribbean and one of the most dramatic in the region, is a single steep volcanic peak rising straight from the sea, famously known as the Unspoiled Queen. Its summit, Mount Scenery, cloaked in misty cloud forest, is at 887 metres the highest point in the entire Kingdom of the Netherlands, reached by a rewarding hike up hundreds of stone steps through lush jungle. The island has no beaches to speak of and just a few tiny, storybook villages of white houses with red roofs and green shutters, clinging to the slopes and linked by a single vertiginous road. Ringed by superb dive sites in its marine park, Saba is a haven of hiking, diving, tranquillity and genuine, unspoiled charm.

What you actually see

• Mount Scenery - the cloud-forest summit, highest in the Netherlands.
• The hiking trails - the stone-step climbs through the jungle.
• The storybook villages - the white-and-red houses on the slopes.
• The dive sites - the superb reefs of the marine park.

When to go

December to April, the dry season, brings the most settled weather for hiking and diving, avoiding the wetter, stormier months; the tropical climate is warm year-round, though the cloud-forest summit is often misty. Clear spells offer the finest views from the trails.

Honest expectations

Saba is tiny, remote and mountainous with no beaches and few facilities, reached by a dramatic flight to one of the world's shortest runways or by boat, so it suits hikers, divers and lovers of tranquillity rather than beach or resort seekers. As the Unspoiled Queen of the Caribbean, a dramatic cloud-forest peak of storybook villages and superb diving, though, Saba is a genuinely magical and unspoiled gem.

Nearby

The islands of Sint Eustatius and Sint Maarten lie nearby.