"This tiny Dutch protectorate in the Leeward Islands hosts no cruise ships. Its only real beach is an ephemeral strand that appears seasonally, if luck will have it. A quiet yet technically active volcano, the island totals five vertiginous square miles, and its roller-coaster-grade single road was hand-built by farmers nearly 90 years ago. It's a wonder anyone manages to live there. Yet 2,000 souls call Saba home."
"They're the descendants of pirates; of European settlers who tamed the jungle in order to farm plantations; of enslaved Africans forced to work those plantations. They're expats from the Netherlands, the US, the Philippines, and Central America, with a few wealthy owners of mansion hideaways thrown in. For such a diverse population, it's a close-knit place. "If you don't know what your business is, somebody else will tell you," said the taxi driver who dropped us at our hotel."
Betsy Andrews trades towel and sandals for a scuba mask and hiking boots on Saba, a tiny, lush, mountainous Dutch protectorate in the Leeward Islands. A hurried honeymoon followed a same-sex marriage rushed before a Supreme Court case, with the couple celebrating on the island. Saba totals five steep square miles, has a roller-coaster single road built by farmers, hosts about 2,000 residents of diverse ancestry and expatriates, and contains one-third national park with a surrounding marine reserve. There are no cruise ships, beaches are ephemeral, and main attractions are diving, hiking, and spiny lobster.
Read at Conde Nast Traveler
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