Saba Is Home to the Highest Point in the Netherlands

Most people associate the Netherlands with canals, stroopwafels, and pancake-flat landscapes—but its highest point isn’t in Europe at all. It’s Mount Scenery, a dormant volcano on the tiny Caribbean island of Saba, a special municipality of the Netherlands.

If you haven’t heard of Saba, a small Dutch island in the Caribbean, you’re not alone. The easiest way to get there is by flying on a less than 15-minute flight from St. Maarten, or a ferry that can take up to two hours.

Saba is a hidden gem that has managed to steer away from tourism. There’s less than 150 hotel rooms on the island, there aren’t any cruise stops, and some days, depending on the sporadic weather, your flight could be cancelled with little to no notice.

Home to the shortest commercial plane runway in the world, the island is known for its scuba diving and hiking, with the famous 1,064-step hike to the top of Mount Scenery at 887 meters tall. This small island is overflowing with local hospitality. The town is completely walkable, from The Cottage Club Hotel to local restaurants such as Brigadoon and Bizzy B Bakery.

I booked a guided hike with Mount Scenery National Park, which leads you through the cloud forest to the summit of the dormant volcano that last erupted in 1640 C.E. Pro tip: bring a walking stick and lots of water. The trail is easy to follow with various rest stops and viewpoints … perfect for photos. The hike up took under two hours at a leisurely pace, and the 360-degree views of the entire island were surreal.

Since Saba is a volcanic island that rises steeply straight out of the sea, most species simply never made it there. There are no snakes, no venomous spiders, no large predators like wild cats or monkeys, and no scorpions. Even mosquitoes are limited thanks to the constant breeze and lack of standing water. On the trail, you may spot tree frogs, geckos, anoles, butterflies, and Saba’s iconic red-billed tropicbirds gliding overhead.

While you can hike without a guide, I recommend hiking with one. Spending time with a Saba local was the best part of the trip. Our guide helped build the steps on the hike more than 30 years ago, and had a great deal of knowledge as we trekked through the forest.

Once I returned to my hotel cottage, the top of Mount Scenery looked like a tiny spec in the sky, and accomplishing this hike gave me a deeper appreciation for this special place.