Most of the fun in Saba is underwater, and the diving is spectacular. But, as with all good dive trips, there is a day at the end for top-side activities. On this trip we focused on hiking, with the goal of getting to the top of the Netherlands.
Yup, that’s Mt. Scenery Saba, at an elevation of 877 meters, which is apparently the highest point in the Netherlands. And on a clear day the views are spectacular. On the Sunday we headed up to the top the views were a bit less amazing. The mountain actually creates a bit of its own weather pattern at the top which is very cool to look at from below. It is less cool to try to look out through the soupy mess which it creates when you’re inside the cloud.
Check out this video of the clouds isolated atop Mt Scenery Saba
The hike itself is mostly stairs; it is too steep to be a regular path. And these are not especially well maintained stairs throughout the trail. Combine that with the ever-present moisture and it becomes something of a slippery adventure.
At the top of Mt. Scenery our visibility was roughly nil. There’s a huge radio tower and we could barely see the top of it. But we did see the marker announcing the elevation and noting that it is the highest point in the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The highlights of Saba are, at least to me, almost entirely underwater. Still, the hikes on Saba do present some great options for top-side distractions, even when the views are not so incredible. And, in the case of Mount Scenery, the hike is accessible right from in town at Windwardside which makes it even easier, though the vertical gain and uneven stairs make for a medium level of difficulty in the hike itself.
Related Posts:
- Underwater in Saba
- Friday Flyday: Landing on the world’s shortest runway
- Friday Flyday: Island hopping in the Caribbean
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