Who thought that The Netherlands has reached its peak at the Vaalserberg (322 meters), is wrong. More than 7,000 kilometers west Saba rices majestically out of the Caribbean Sea with Mount Scenery as her highest peak: 887 meters above sea level. This makes it both the highest point in The Netherlands and the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Saba is located some 50 kilometers south of Saint Martin. A plane takes you there in a few minutes including spectacular landing at the only flat, artificially created point on the island. Did you know that Saba has the shortest commercial runway (400 meters) in the world?

The island is very rocky with cactuses on the coast and a hilly landscape from the top down. Starting from the village of Hell’s Gate you can see the tropical vegetation around you and this is only increasing as you go up towards the Windward Side.

From there, the road to the top is an absolute must. 90 minutes or 1064 steps takes you to the highest point. You pave your way through the tropical rainforest. This is doable for the novice hiker. When you have almost reach the top, it’s all a little more climbing and scrambling. Because of the tropical rainforest, it may be that the trails are wet, in that case it is advisable to wear good walking shoes. As I have already made the top three times on flip flops. It went fine for me, but safety first!

Once at the top you get treated to a breathtaking view. At least, if you’re lucky! Since the peak is at 887 meters, it’s regular the case that it is completely shrouded in clouds. Do not let that put off, just take a nice place to sit down, relax and have patience. You will see that this is rewarding. The moment the clouds break and the endless Caribbean Sea appears, the surrounding islands in the distance, you imagine yourself here king on top of the world.

This post is also available in: Nederlands