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A Caribbean island without a beach? Sound like a "tough sell" for you or your non-diving companions? Saba offers an experience like no other Caribbean island. Return customers are not to worry, we haven't built a casino or a shopping mall, but a few enhancements to our island make Saba more enjoyable for locals and visitors alike...even National Geographic Adventurer recognized us!
More reasons: Check Out Saba's Annual Events at the bottom of this page...
Snorkeling
Hiking
Art Shopping Annual Events: Carnival, Sea & Learn, Hell's Gate Challenge
Annual Events...The island of Saba has three events each year worth planning a trip for or around.
This page last updated on 02/25/2008 from our Windwardside office. |
Snorkeling...Join
the fun with a snorkel trip! As there is limited shore access on
Saba, the best way to explore our healthy reefs is while snorkeling from a
comfortable Sea Saba boat with our competent dive crew. Daily
afternoon trips can be arranged at our Windwardside office. We'll
arrange a taxi pickup for you and any equipment needed. Let us
introduce you to the underwater world. Sea Saba's boats are large
and comfortable with shade as well as a sundeck. We always have a
qualified dive instructor who stays on board so that first time snorkelers
can be comforted. In addition, we have a full range of equipment
including snorkel vests, a drift line and wetsuits to add to your comfort
and safety. Once you are intrigued, why not consider scuba diving?
Sea Saba offers one-day 
Hiking...Imagine the life of a Saban before
the famous road was
built as you travel from one village to the next or make your way to the
rocky shoreline where English settlers fought Carib Indians over water
rights. Saba offers a variety of hiking and nature trails over
diverse terrains from tide pools up to
Art
and Craftwork...The
Peanut Gallery at Lambee's Place houses Saba's premier art
collections. Jim and Judy Stewart formerly of Atlanta, Georgia, are
the new proprietors. The Stewart's bring new enthusiasm to Saba
along with their experience gained owning a folk art gallery in the U.S. The
gallery holds works by local and regional artists ranging from oils and
pastels to driftwood carvings and framed Saba Lace. The owners
picked the name hoping to instill the idea that art should be fun and
something to be enjoyed by everyone--not just a high brow crowd but even
those who formerly were designated to "sit in the peanut gallery". Judy
is a potter and can be regularly scene at her wheel in the courtyard at Lambee's Place. There are still a number of individual galleries on
Saba--ask our office staff to be pointed in the right direction or to find
out if the artist is home. Find yourself inspired? The gallery sells
sketch pads and other supplies to get you started or produce your own Saban masterpiece.
You can also 'paint a placemat'--banana leafs and hibiscus flower wood
bases and paints supplied. Saba's most popular artist and
former president of Saba
Foundation for the Arts, Heleen Cornet sometimes offers art lessons.
She also heads a weekly Saturday meeting of artists. Check with Lynn or The
Ecolodge for possible scheduling. Heleen took two-years to complete the project we have dubbed, "Saba's Sistine
Chapel". The alter of the Catholic Church in The Bottom has
been transformed to a biblical Saban rainforest scene. Helene's
timeless art can be viewed any day of the week. Be sure to ask your taxi driver to stop in for a peek or
catch it on the way down after hiking the Sandy Cruz trail. For
more information and close-up photos, check out our 
Shopping...Looking for a unique souvenir?
Take a wander down "Main Street" in Windwardside and meet a
friendly shop owner, visit an artist or have an espresso at the Trail
Shop. You won't find a Wal-Mart or a Colombian Emeralds on Saba but
you will find as one shopkeeper's sign reads: "gifts, oddments
and pretties". Sea Saba is no longer just great diving t-shirts
but has expanded to quality resort wear to satisfy your gift list from
infant to XXL. 
Relaxing
and Spoiling Yourself...Let it go! Can't forget about
that project back home? Got
a nagging ache or just want to treat yourself? If the great
views, peaceful village lifestyle and fresh air just aren't enough, it
gets even better...The Saba Day Spa has variety of
spa services
available. Rejuvenate your body and
mind with a massage, facial, body wrap, hot lava rocks treatment and more. Sally
Lynn, formerly of the U.S. Virgin Islands, opened the Saba Day Spa in
2000. Let
the Sea Saba office know what you're interested in and we'll be pleased to
make the reservation for you. 
Improve
Your Body: Discover
stretching techniques and breathing exercises you can use for a
lifetime. Yoga instructor Suzanne offers classes 2x per week at the
recreation room of Juliana's Hotel. Vitality Studio is presently
closed but previously offered group and private classes.
Suzanne's Yoga classes are held on Wednesday evenings and Saturday afternoons at the
recreation room of Juliana's Hotel. Suzanne
is a long-time Sea Saba diver and now
the local roving reporter for the St. Maarten Daily Herald (see our
Birding...Stop
by the Saba Trail Shop and ask for Evette or come in to Sea Saba's 'nature
library' and grab a birding book or identification card to take on your
hike. Former resident Martha "Mandy"
McGhee is a known environmentalist in the Caribbean. Her foundation:
Island Conservation Efforts (ICE) was instrumental in the installation of
moorings in St. Croix and St. Lucia. From 1995 to 2003, with the
assistance of Evette Peterson, she conducted
a study of the Tropicbird. Saba is home to
both the white-tailed Tropicbird, P. lepturus, and the red-billed
Tropicbird, P. aethereus. With its fondness for inaccessible
cliff-side dwellings coupled with the destruction of habitat in other
areas, there has been little scientific research on these birds.
However, on Saba, nesting sites are found on a sloping hillside just east
of the Fort Bay Harbor. Mandy's one hectare research site has more
than 75 registered nests. The project
is no longer active but you can read about the results on our 
Saba
Orchid Research Center is the newest addition to Saba's
eco-tourism product. Saba's climate is ideal for raising orchids so
many locals have their own collections in their gardens. Stewart
Chipka
Taxi
Tours are offered in most tourist destinations. Saba's
Taxi Drivers, however, are a proud breed with roots dating back several
generations, most to founding families. Their tours are full of
information, lore and good fun. You can choose your driver and the
duration of the tour letting them know if your interest lies in
photographing Saba's scenic views, learning more about the unique history,
a tour of architectural styles, stopping at shops, specific gardens or all
of the above. An average tour lasts 2-3 hours and costs $40 for up
to 4 persons. With a day's notice, The Sea Saba office can arrange
the driver of your choice and the time that works for you. 
Rock Climbing and Bouldering are
a natural next step for Saba's nature and eco-tourism product. Over
the years, Sea Saba's diving instructors mapped out routes and climbs.
It's a bit premature to pack your chalk bag and rock shoes but stay tuned
for some eventual 'official routes'. In the next years, Saba will offer a number of
challenging routes for beginner to experienced climbers. The 
The Hell's Gate
Challenge is a triathlon race that takes
place each year on the Sunday of Saba Day Weekend, normally the first
weekend in December. The 3-part course may not be as large as
worldwide events but it is equally as challenging. Saba's triathlon
is gaining momentum over the years. 2007 marks the 4th annual event
which attracts athletes from other Caribbean islands and the U.S. and
Europe. You can participate as a team, each member taking one of the
3 parts, or as an individual. The race starts with a brisk entry in
to Well's Bay to swim a course not quite as far as Diamond Rock.
Your bike better be ready as the next leg is the bike course up the Well's
Bay Road through the villages of The Bottom and Windwardside, up the
Mountain Road to The Ecolodge where you dump your cycle for the final run
on the Sandy Cruz Trail ending at the Catholic Church in Hell's Gate.
Amen. The event was brainstormed by the owners of
