The Ladder of Saba
The steps that carried an island - 800 hand-cut steps from Ladder Bay, the route every import once climbed on human backs.
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Before Saba built its improbable road, everything arrived up the Ladder: some 800 steps hand-cut down the cliffs to Ladder Bay, where boats landed pianos, provisions and passengers to be carried - on backs and heads - up the only way in. The old customs house still marks the route, and today's hikers reverse history: descending the steps' switchback plunge to the rocky bay, contemplating the climb that awaits with every step down, then earning the island's favourite badge on the burning return. The views - cliffs, sea and The Bottom's red roofs - salve the calves throughout.
What you actually see
- The 800 steps - the hand-cut plunge to Ladder Bay.
- The customs house - the old gate of everything imported.
- The bay's landing - where pianos met the island.
- The climb's views - cliffs and red roofs as anaesthetic.
When to go
December to May for dry steps; mornings beat the heat the climb manufactures. Sturdy shoes are the entire equipment list.
Honest expectations
What goes down must climb 800 steps back - honest knees only; the bay is rocky rest, not a swimming reward. The trail-fee box funds the upkeep.
Nearby
The Bottom, Mount Scenery's separate stairway and Wells Bay.
What to pack for The Ladder of Saba
Chosen from what this place is for. Tap a kit for the full checklist.
Opening times, ticket prices and seasonal closures change - check the official source before you go: official site.
