Saba Overview Country Overview Saba is one of three Windward Islands in the Netherlands Antilles, although geographically it is part of the Leeward Group of the Lesser Antilles, lying 265km (165 miles) east of Puerto Rico, 44km (27 miles) south of St Maarten and 21km (13 miles) west of St Eustatius. Saba is the peak of a submerged extinct volcano. Mount Scenery is thick with forest and rises to almost 900m (3000ft) in less than 2km (1.2 miles). There are four villages, until recently connected only by thousands of steps cut from the rock. A road now links the airport with the island’s capital, The Bottom. The Bottom is situated 250m (820ft) above the ocean on a plateau surrounded by volcanic domes. Here, the Artisan Foundation exhibits early examples of Saba Lace, intricate embroidery on linen that resembles lace. Local specialities include calaloo soup, curried goat and an abundance of exotic fruit. Restaurants and bars are usually closed by midnight. On Friday and Saturday nights there is dancing at some restaurants, and numerous guest-houses have lively bars. General Information Area: 13 sq km (5 sq miles). Population: 1466 (1996). Population Density: 113 per sq km. Capital: The Bottom. GEOGRAPHY: Saba is one of three Windward Islands in the Netherlands Antilles, although geographically it is part of the Leeward Group of the Lesser Antilles, lying 265km (165 miles) east of Puerto Rico, 44km (27 miles) south of St Maarten and 21km (13 miles) west of St Eustatius. Saba is the peak of a submerged extinct volcano. Mount Scenery is thick with forest and rises to almost 900m (3000ft) in less than 2km (1.2 miles). There are four villages, until recently connected only by thousands of steps cut from the rock. A road now links the airport with The Bottom. Government: Part of the Netherlands Antilles; dependency of the Netherlands. Gained internal autonomy in 1954. Head of State: HM Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, represented locally by Governor Jaime M Saleh. Head of Government: Prime Minister Etienne Ys since 2002. The Netherlands Antilles consist of Aruba, Curaçao, Bonaire, St Maarten, St Eustatius and Saba. The capital of the island group is Willemstad, Curaçao. Language: Dutch is the official language. Papiamento (a mixture of Portuguese, African, Spanish, Dutch and English) is the commonly used lingua franca. English and Spanish are also widely spoken. Religion: Roman Catholic majority; also Anglican and Wesleyan. Time: GMT - 4. Electricity: 110/220 volts AC, 50Hz. Communications:   Telephone Fully automatic system with good IDD. Country code: 599. Outgoing international code: 00. Calls made through the operator are more expensive and include a 15 per cent tax. IDD is available from hotels and some phone booths. Mobile telephone Analogue networks operated by Windward Islands Cellular and digital analogue network (system B) by East Caribbean Cellular system B (website: www.eastcaribbeancellular.com). Compatible with most US handsets but not with GSM handsets. Roaming agreements exist. Handsets can be hired at the company offices in The Bottom. GSM network is being developed and should now be in operation. Most US handsets can be used, and can be activated with a temporary number before or after arrival on the island. Visitors can also register online with ECC. Internet There is currently one Internet cafe on the island, in Windwardside. Telegram Services operated by Lands Radio Dienst and Antelecom. Post The Post Office is in The Bottom. Airmail to Europe takes four to six days, surface mail four to six weeks. Press The Saba Herald is published monthly in English. BBC World Service and Voice of America frequencies: From time to time these change. BBC (website: www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice): MHz 15.19 12.10 6.195 5.975 Voice of America (website: www.voa.gov): MHz 13.79 9.455 6.130 5.995 Passport/Visa   Passport Required? Visa Required? Return Ticket Required? British Yes 4 Yes Australian Yes 5 Yes Canadian 3 5 Yes USA 2 4 Yes OtherEU 1 4 Yes Japanese Yes 5 Yes PASSPORTS: Passport valid for at least three months after intended return to home country required by all except the following: (a) 1. nationals of Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg and The Netherlands holding national identity cards; (b) 2. nationals of the USA holding voters’ registration cards or birth certificate, and alien residents of the USA with an Alien Registration Card; nationals of the USA born outside the USA with naturalisation certificates of American citizenship; (c) 3. nationals of Canada with birth certificates or proof of citizenship or with Certificate of Naturalization or with Certificate of Proof of Canadian Citizenship; alien residents of Canada still holding their national passport with either Canadian Immigration of Identification Certificates (CIIC) or Canadian Certificate of Identity. Note: Although not officially required, nationals of (a)-(c) are advised to carry their passport as an additional form of identification. VISAS: Required by all except the following: (a) 4. nationals of The Netherlands (including Aruba) for an unlimited stay; (b) nationals of Belgium, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Germany, Israel, Jamaica, Korea (Rep), Luxembourg, Malawi, Mauritius, Niger, The Philippines, San Marino, Swaziland, Togo, UK and USA for visits of up to 90 days (stay can be extended locally by the same period); (c) 5. nationals of Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovak Republic, Spain and most other countries for a stay of 14 days (stay can be extended by up to three months locally by the same period). (d) nationals continuing to a third country within 24 hours by the same means of transportation and not leaving the airport and holding tickets with reserved seats and documents for their onward journey. Note: Nationals of the following countries must apply for a visa before entering the country even for touristic purposes: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cambodia, China (PR), CIS, Colombia, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Estonia, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Kenya, Latvia, Libya, Lithuania, Mali, Nigeria, Romania and Vietnam. Types of visa and cost: Single-entry visas: £16 (for one month); £19 (for three months). Multiple-entry visas: £22 (for three months). Transit: £6 (for one to five days). Validity: Up to three months from date of issue. Application requirements: (a) Passport valid for a minimum of three months after intended return to home country. (b) One fully completed application form. (c) One passport sized photo per person endorsed on passport, with daytime phone number and address written clearly on the back. (d) Fee; payable by postal order (to Royal Netherlands Embassy) or cash. Cheques are not accepted. (e) Return or onward ticket. (f) Some nationals may need to show evidence of sufficient funds amounting to a minimum of US$150/£95 for each day of stay (cash not accepted). Application to: Nearest Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Further information about visa requirements may be obtained from the Royal Netherlands Embassies which formally represent the Netherlands Antilles. For addresses, see The Netherlands section. Working days required: Applications should be lodged at least three weeks prior to departure. Temporary residence: Enquire at the office of the Lieutenant Governor of the Island Territory of Saba, The Bottom, Saba. The Dutch Government recently allowed Dutch Europeans to reside in the Netherlands Antilles without having to apply for a residence permit. Money Currency: Netherlands Antilles Guilder or Florin (NAG) = 100 cents. Notes are in denominations of NAG250, 100, 50, 25, 10 and 5. Coins are in denominations of NAG5 and 1 and 50, 25, 10, 5 and 1 cents. Note: The NAG is linked to the US Dollar. Currency exchange: There are two banks on the island. Credit & debit cards: MasterCard and Visa are accepted in larger establishments. Check with your credit or debit card company for details of merchant acceptability and other services that may be available. Travellers cheques: To avoid additional exchange rate charges, US Dollars are recommended. Currency restrictions: There are no restrictions on the import and export of foreign or local currency. The import of Dutch or Surinam silver coins is prohibited. Exchange rate indicators The following figures are included as a guide to the movement of the Netherlands Antilles Guilder against Sterling and the US Dollar: Date May ’02 Aug ’02 Nov ’02 Feb ’03 £1.00= 2.59 2.71 2.81 2.83 $1.00= 1.78 1.78 1.78 1.78 Banking hours: Mon-Fri 0830-1130 and 1330-1630. Duty Free The following items may be imported into Saba by tourists over 15 years of age only, without incurring customs duty: 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 100 cigarillos or 250g tobacco; 2l of alcoholic beverages; gifts to a value of NAG100. Restricted items: The import of souvenirs and leather goods from Haiti is not advisable. If total value of goods exceeds NAG500, a declaration should be made at customs and cleared at the freight department. Public Holidays Jan 1 2003 New Year’s Day. Apr 18-21 Easter. Apr 30 Queen’s Birthday. May 1 Labour Day. May 29 Ascension. Oct 22 Antillian Day. Dec 25 Christmas Day. Dec 26 Boxing Day. Jan 1 2004 New Year’s Day. Apr 9-12 Easter. Apr 30 Queen’s Birthday. May 1 Labour Day. May 20 Ascension. Oct 22 Antillian Day. Dec 25 Christmas Day. Dec 26 Boxing Day. Health   Special Precautions Certificate Required Yellow Fever No 1 Cholera No No Typhoid and Polio No N/A Malaria No N/A 1: A yellow fever certificate is required from travellers over six months of age arriving within six days of transiting countries with infected areas. Food & drink: All mains water on the island is distilled from seawater, and is thus safe to drink. Bottled mineral water is widely available. Milk is pasteurised and dairy products are safe for consumption. Local meat, poultry, seafood, fruit and vegetables are generally considered safe to eat. Other risks: Immunisation against hepatitis A is recommended. TB and hepatitis B might also occur in rural areas. Health care: There is one hospital in The Bottom plus the University School of Medicine. Medical insurance is essential. Travel - International AIR: The national airline of the Netherlands Antilles is ALM (LM). Airlines serving Saba include Winair. Approximate flight times: All international air travel is via St Maarten. From Saba to London (via St Maarten and Amsterdam) is 13 hours, to Los Angeles is 10 hours, to New York is 6 hours and to Singapore is 34 hours (these will vary considerably, depending on connections). International airports: Juancho Yrausquin (SAB) at Cove Bay. The runway, at 400m (1300ft), is one of the shortest in the world. There are daily STOL turboprop flights to St Eustatius and St Kitts (and thus the airport may be classified as ‘international’) and thrice daily to St Maarten. Departure tax: US$2 to Netherlands Antilles, US$20 for all other destinations. SEA: Small boats operate from the Leo A Chance Pier at Fort Bay. There are regular ferry services to St Maarten (travel time – 1 hour). A weekly cargo boat brings groceries and other supplies from St Maarten. Cruise ships call occasionally. Travel - Internal ROAD: Saba has one road, 15km (9.5 miles) long, bisecting the island from the airport to Fort Bay. Traffic drives on the right. Taxis are available. Self-drive cars may be hired in Windwardside. Documentation: A national driving licence is acceptable. Accommodation There are various guest-houses including Cranston’s Antique Inn, El Momo, The Gate House, Queen's Garden Resort, Willard's of Saba, Scout’s Place, Juliana’s, Caribe Guesthouse, The Cottage Club and the Ecolodge Rendez-Vous, new in 2002. Most have their own restaurant bar, and swimming pool. Some apartments, cottages and villas are also available. A five per cent government tax is added to bills. Introduction Mount Scenery is an extinct volcano rising from the floor of the Caribbean; the 250m (820ft) of it above sea level are known as Saba. With only one road (‘The Road’) and a population of less than 1500, Saba is the most unspoilt of the Netherlands Antilles; the inhabitants will claim that visitors are so few that each one is something of a celebrity. Until 50 years ago Saba was a secluded oasis, having neither an airport nor a sheltered harbour. From the rocky beach at Fort Bay, there was a steep climb of 800 steps hewn out of the rock in order to gain access to the island. The island’s four villages are mere clusters of ornate timber cottages perching on the flanks of the mountain. Vegetation becomes increasingly lush towards the summit and the crater itself holds a tropical rainforest scattered with exotic flowers – begonias, giant heliconias and orchids. Tours may be taken by taxi from the airport or pier, or on foot via the forest trails and thousands of stone-cut steps linking the villages. The Harry L Johnson Memorial Museum in Windwardside is the restored home of a Dutch sea captain. Windwardside also contains the Tourist Office, the island’s two largest guest-houses and most of its shops. The island’s capital, The Bottom, is situated 250m (820ft) above the ocean on a plateau surrounded by volcanic domes. Here, the Artisan Foundation exhibits early examples of ‘Saba lace’; intricate embroidery on linen that resembles lace. The climate is milder than neighbouring St Eustatius (21km/13 miles away), but the island is subject to sudden downpours. Sport & Activities Diving: The waters around Saba have been declared a protected marine park in recognition of the unique opportunities for wall diving they present to experienced divers. Visibility varies from 20 to 30m (75 to 100ft) with a water temperature of 30°C (86°F) in summer, whilst in winter visibility is up to 40m (125ft), with a water temperature of 24°C (75°F). The fragile coral reefs clinging to the submerged mountain slopes are teeming with colourful grazing fish, preyed on by sharks and barracuda. Giant sea turtles and humpback whales are seasonal visitors. Boats and diving equipment can be rented from dive shops. Qualified dive masters can provide tuition at all levels (beginners are confined to the shallow waters of Fort Bay). Other: The island’s few other sports facilities include a concrete tennis court at the Sunny Valley Youth Centre in The Bottom and swimming pools at all hotels. There are no beaches. Marked hiking trails lead up to Mount Scenery. Social Profile Food & Drink: Fine local cuisine is offered at the island’s guest-houses and there are several public restaurants. Local specialities include calaloo soup, curried goat, breadfruit, soursop ice cream and exotic fruit grown on the island – mangoes, papayas, figs, bananas and bitter mangoes. Restaurants and bars are usually closed by midnight. Most well-known brands of drink are available and Saba has its own brand of rum – Saba Spice, a potent blend of rum, aniseed, cinnamon, orange peel, cloves, nutmeg, spice bush and brown sugar. Nightlife: There are few visitors to the island and generally evenings are quiet, but on Friday and Saturday nights there is dancing at some restaurants and some guest-houses have lively bars. Shopping: By the middle of the last century, the decline in the world’s demand for sugar and indigo had left Saba looking at a very bleak future; the plantations, the only source of employment, reverted to forest. Undaunted, the men built boats and became fishermen, the women stayed at home and embroidered napkins and table cloths using a technique remembered by Mary Gertrude Johnson from her days in a Venezuelan convent. The fishing industry is now marginal but the embroidery has become Saba’s chief claim to fame. The Saba Artisans’ Foundation (founded in 1972 with money from the United Nations’ Development Programme) in The Bottom promotes local lacework, silk-screened fabrics and garments printed and handmade by Sabans, as does the Island Craft Shop in Windwardside. Shopping hours: Mon-Sat 0800-1200 and 1400-1800. Special Events: The most popular events that occur in Saba include Saba Day (held the first weekend in December with donkey racing, dancing and parties), and the Carnival (held in the last week of July with fancy dress costumes, lively dancing and caribbean music). For a full list of events taking place in 2003, contact the Saba Tourist Bureau (see Contact Addresses section). Social Conventions: Dutch customs are still important throughout the Netherlands Antilles, but tourism on neighbouring St Maarten has brought some US influence to Saba (several businesses are US-owned). Dress is casual and lightweight cottons are advised. Tipping: A surcharge of 20 per cent is usually added to guest-house and restaurant bills to cover government tax and service. Elsewhere ten to 15 per cent is expected. Business Profile Economy: Economic conditions vary widely between the different islands in the Netherlands Antilles group. Saba has some agriculture, producing sorghum, groundnuts, fruit and vegetables, as well as a modest fishing operation. There is no manufacturing industry other than textiles. Saba has very little of the Netherlands Antilles’ recently developed ‘offshore’ financial services industry; tourism is the most important part of the service sector. Along with Bonaire and St Eustatius, Saba is a net beneficiary of the Netherlands Antilles central treasury. Saba has associate membership of the European Union, as an overseas territory of the Netherlands, and observer status at the Caribbean trading bloc, CARICOM. Business: Business is fairly formal and visitors should wear a tropical suit. Appointments should be made and always kept as it is very discourteous to be late. Office hours: Mon-Fri 0730-1200 and 1330-1630. Commercial Information: The following organisations can offer advice: Curaçao Chamber of Commerce/Trade Point Curaçao, PO Box 10, Kaya Junior Salas 1, Curaçao (tel: (9) 461 3918; fax: (9) 461 5652; e-mail: businessinfo@curacao-chamber.an; website: www.curacao-chamber.an); or St Maarten Chamber of Commerce and Industry, PO Box 454, C A Cannegieter Street 11, Philipsburg, St Maarten (tel: 542 3590; fax: 542 3512; e-mail: coci@sintmaarten.net). Climate Hot, but tempered by cooling trade winds. The annual mean temperature is 27°C (80°F), varying by no more than two or three degrees throughout the year; average rainfall is 1667mm. The temperature can drop to 16°C (60°F) on winter evenings. When climbing Mount Scenery, the temperature will drop by approximately 0.2°C (0.4°F) for each 100m (330ft) gained in altitude. Required clothing: Lightweights and cottons are worn throughout the year. Umbrellas or light waterproofs are needed for the rainy season. History and Government History: Saba was sighted by Christopher Columbus in 1493, by Sir Francis Drake in 1595 and by two Dutch expeditions in the 1620s. In 1632, a party of Englishmen was shipwrecked on the tiny island and found it uninhabited, although there were traces of Carib occupation. Permanent settlement by Europeans did not occur until the second half of the 17th century, when the Dutch were consolidating their Caribbean empire, based on Curaçao. The settlers founded an agricultural economy with sugar and indigo as the key crops. The decline in these markets forced the population to maintain their modest prosperity through fishing and embroidery which, together with low-key tourism, remain the major sources of income. The island changed hands 12 times between 1632 and 1816, when it was finally confirmed as a Dutch possession. As part of the Netherlands Antilles, Saba gained partial independence from The Netherlands in 1954. The issue of the Antilles’ constitutional status never left the political agenda, however, and was the subject of a referendum on the three Windward Islands in 1994. All three voted to remain within the Antilles but Saba registered the largest majority of 91 per cent. At the most recent general election for the Staten held in January 2002, the socialist Frente Obrero Liberashon (Workers’ Liberation Front) won the largest number of seats but was excluded from office by a four-party centre-right coalition led by the Partido Antia Restruktura (PAR, Party for the Restructured Antilles). The PAR, which is based on the island of Curaçao, has dominated Antilles’ politics since its formation a decade ago. PAR leader Miguel Pourier, who has held the premiership for most of the last decade, continues in office. Government: The Netherlands Antilles, Aruba and The Netherlands each have equal status within the Kingdom of the Netherlands as autonomous regions in internal affairs. The Dutch monarch is represented locally by a Governor, while the Netherlands Antilles are represented in the Government of the Kingdom by a Minister Plenipotentiary. Foreign policy and defence matters are decided by a Council of Ministers of the Kingdom, including the Plenipotentiary, and executed under the authority of the Governor. The internal affairs of the Netherlands Antilles are administered by the central government, based in Willemstad, Curaçao, which is responsible to the Staten or legislative assembly. Saba may elect by non-compulsory adult suffrage one of 22 members to the Staten. Routine local affairs on each island group (Bonaire, Curaçao and the Windward Islands) are managed by an elected Island Council, presided over by a Lieutenant-Governor. Copyright © 2003 Columbus Publishing Ltd.