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Dubbed the 'Unspoiled Queen', low-key Saba (pronounced
SAY-ba) has strikingly little tourism. Both  the smallest and tallest of the Netherlands Antilles, the island isn't a typical
Caribbean powdered-sugar beach destination - in fact, it has hardly any beaches at all.
Instead, ruggedly steep Saba has beautiful scenery, good hiking and pristine diving. Its handful of villages are
spotlessly neat, close-knit and quiet - making Saba better for peaceful unwinding than for rollicking nightlife.
This is the Caribbean without the  beachcomber tack.
Everything in Saba is clean and sparkling, the streets are clean, the houses all look like they have been recently
painted with their white siding, red roofs and green shutters. The smiles and friendliness you get from the locals
are genuine and on an island with only 1000 inhabitants it is easy to make friends quickly. You'll find that it
takes less than a day for some of the residents to greet you by name.
Background
Because of the mountains and rough terrain, does not appear to have been heavily populated in early history. There
is evidence of a small Arawak Indian settlement from about 1300 years agao. Saba was first sighted by Christopher
Columbus on his second voyage in 1493. Spain ruled for 150 years, then the British, French and Dutch fought over
Saba from the 17th century until Holland took over in 1816. Until the 1940's, there were no roads and villages
were connected by foot paths. Today Saba remains a part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands but has full autonomy
in internal affairs which was granted in 1954. The Dutch Government is responsible for defense and foreign affairs.
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