Saba
Saba has no bus and no scheduled bus route; travellers arrive by Winair's Twin Otter onto the world's shortest commercial runway or by fast ferry from St. Maarten, then move around by taxi, hire car or on foot along the single hand-built Road.
- Researched
- 28 September 2026
- Reviewed
- not yet
- Ways of moving
- 8, 22 sources
- Not confirmed
- 5
- Fares seen
- 2025–2026
8 ways of moving, each with its rule
We confirmed seven ways of moving to, from or around Saba: one by air, two by water, two hired or on demand and two under your own steam, from 22 sources. One entry is not a service at all but a rule that decides whether travel happens: a permit, a closure, a border, a season or an authority's say-so. Four of them run only on demand or when the seats are full, so there is no timetable to show; the rule is written where the timetable would be. Two need a phone call or a message before you turn up.
The fares were seen in 2025 to 2026; a fare from an older year is a floor, not a price. Six fares carry no year, because they could not be confirmed and the field says so. We rate 5 of the 8 high confidence, our own judgement of the sources. The entry was checked on 28 September 2026, and ends with five things we could not confirm.
By air
Winair SXM–SAB
Princess Juliana International Airport, St. Maarten, to Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport, Saba
Book through Winair's own counter or website; day-trip fares are sold directly by Winair and by Johnson's Travel Services at the Saba airport
- When
- roughly four daily flights, weather permitting
- Takes
- about 12 minutes
- Fare 2026
- one-way fares typically run $142 to $147; a same-day round trip day-trip fare of $129 including taxes is also sold
Seasonyear-round, but flights are cancelled or diverted to St. Maarten when crosswinds are too strong for the approach. Bookingbook online with Winair or through a St. Maarten travel agent; no walk-up guarantee in high season. Run byWinair (Winward Islands Airways), the only scheduled carrier serving the airport, flying the De Havilland Twin Otter.
By water
Makana ferry
Fort Bay, Saba, to Simpson Bay, Sint Maarten, with onward legs to St. Eustatius and St. Kitts
Captain Leo Chance Pier at Fort Bay; tickets through the local agent Saba C-Transport or the ONDOCK agent in St. Maarten
- When
- a weekly multi-island schedule, published as an image on the operator's site and subject to change
- Takes
- about 90 minutes to Simpson Bay
- Fare
- no current published one-way fare could be confirmed from these sources; check the operator's schedule page before travelling
Seasonyear-round, but sailings depend on sea state at Fort Bay. Bookingreserve online at sabaferry.com or through the listed local agents. Run bySaba C-Transport N.V., trading as Makana Ferry, running the 72-foot catamaran M/V Makana.
The Edge
Fort Bay, Saba, to Simpson Bay, Sint Maarten
same Fort Bay pier as the Makana; booked as a separate sailing, not always listed on the Makana schedule
- When
- Tuesdays and Fridays, departing Simpson Bay around 9:00 and Saba around 15:30
- Takes
- about 90 minutes
- Fare
- no current fare could be confirmed; the operator's old Saba booking page no longer carries Saba content
Seasonyear-round, weather permitting. Bookingunclear; the Wikivoyage-listed contact numbers and stmartinbookings.com aggregator could not be confirmed as still current for this vessel. Run bya wave-piercing catamaran named The Edge; the operator's old contact page (stmaarten-activities.com) now redirects to Aqua Mania Adventures with no Saba listing found.
Hired, booked and on demand
Saba taxis
airport, Fort Bay harbour and all four villages (Hell's Gate, Windwardside, St. John's, The Bottom)
taxis meet every flight and ferry at the airport and at Fort Bay; call a driver directly, there is no rank in the villages
- When
- on demand, no timetable
- Takes
- 10 to 25 minutes between most points
- Fare 2025
- government-set zone fares, for example $15 airport to Zion's Hill and $28 airport to Fort Bay for 1-2 passengers, plus $3-7 per extra passenger and a $3 bag fee; a 30% night surcharge applies 21:00-06:00
Seasonyear-round. Bookingphone or WhatsApp a driver from the numbers the Saba Tourist Bureau publishes; no app or dispatch line. Run byindependent licensed taxi drivers regulated by the government's published rate sheet.
Saba car rental
self-drive along The Road between the four villages, the airport and Fort Bay
book by phone, email or WhatsApp before arrival; no counter at the airport, cars are dropped off there
- When
- on demand
- Takes
- n/a
- Fare
- no current daily rate published by any of the four listed operators could be confirmed on this visit
Seasonyear-round; the Road is narrow, steep and hairpinned, and locals warn newcomers to watch how residents drive it first. Bookingreserve ahead, several operators share the same office and phone lines. Run byMorgan Car Rental, Legit Car Rental, Exquis Car Rental and Top Tier Car Rental, all listed by the Saba Tourist Bureau.
On foot, by bike, or otherwise
Mount Scenery and Crispeen Track
Windwardside up Mount Scenery, and the Crispeen Track linking The Bottom to the Mount Scenery Track
the Mount Scenery trailhead is signposted just outside Windwardside; the Saba Trail Shop in Windwardside sells maps and rents boots
- When
- on demand, daylight hours only
- Takes
- 60-90 minutes to the summit of Mount Scenery; the Crispeen Track from The Bottom runs 60-80 minutes to the same junction
- Fare
- guided hikes cost $40 undated, no fixed fare for walking the marked trails alone
Seasonbest in the morning; the summit is often cloud-covered by afternoon. Bookingnone for the marked trails; guided hikes booked through the Trail Shop. Run byunofficial, on marked public trails maintained via the Saba Trail Shop.
Hitchhiking along The Road
between the four villages along the island's single road
stand at the roadside in a village and flag down a passing car; there is no formal spot
- When
- on demand, informal
- Takes
- varies by destination
- Fare
- no fare, sometimes free even from taxi drivers already headed that way
Seasonyear-round. Run bynone, informal.
Rules, permits and closures
Weather holds on the airport and the harbour
the SXM-SAB flight and the Fort Bay ferry crossings
check the Winair flight status or the ferry operator's page before travelling, especially on a connecting day
- When
- irregular, driven by wind direction at the airport and sea state at Fort Bay
- Takes
- n/a
- Fare
- n/a
Seasoncan occur in any month; travellers are advised not to book a same-day onward international flight out of St. Maarten. Run byWinair for flights; the harbourmaster at Fort Bay for ferry sailings.
What we could not find out
5 things the researcher looked for and did not find, in their own words, with where to ask instead. None of this goes into the planner; it stays here until someone confirms it.
- 01
The brief describes the Makana Ferry and the Dawn II as the two current boats. Neither the operator's own site (sabaferry.com) nor the government's own 'Getting Here' page mentions a Dawn II or sabactransport.com any more; the most recent independent account (Caribbean Journal, June 2026) names the current pair as the Makana and a separate boat called The Edge. This looks like drift since the Wikivoyage listing was last edited (2025-03): Dawn II appears to have stopped running or been renamed, and The Edge has taken its place. Ask the Saba Tourist Bureau (+599-416-2231) to confirm before publishing a name.
- 02
No current one-way fare for the Makana or the Edge could be confirmed from a text source; the operator publishes its schedule and rates only as photographed images (2026-05 schedule, 2026-04 rates) on sabaferry.com, which cannot be quoted as text.
- 03
No daily or weekly rate for any of the four car rental operators (Morgan, Legit, Exquis, Top Tier) could be found on the Saba Tourist Bureau's page; ask each operator directly.
- 04
The brief calls hurricane season out specifically; no source found during this research names hurricane season dates or a hurricane-specific transport suspension for Saba distinct from routine wind and sea-state holds, so no hurricane-season claim is made in the entries above.
- 05
The old operator page for The Edge (stmaarten-activities.com/en/edge-saba) now redirects to a general Aqua Mania Adventures page with no Saba content, so its current phone numbers and price could not be confirmed independently of the Caribbean Journal account.
What the planner can route today
The options above live on the place page, not in the departure board: a boat that comes when you phone has no time to show. What the board can do for Saba is this.
- Y
- Scheduled flightsSint Maarten (SXM), 48 km
- Y
- Trains and coachesTransitous carries 1 timetable feed for this country, 3 with real-time
- Y
- FerriesBlack Rocks Harbor, 2 km, Makana Ferry Service; sailings estimated
- Y
- Driving and taxiOpenStreetMap roads; cab fare from the country band
- N
- Bike and scooter shareno share feed known
- N
- Cruisesno open itinerary source anywhere
Y routable now · F found, not yet implemented · N no source known.