When: Year round. Length of visit: Any Number of guests: We have 12 cottages, each sleeping up to four persons
Fee:
WHERE WE ARE:
The structural elements of the buildings require the use of pressure-treated lumber. Termites are very common in tropical forest ecosystems and untreated lumber would not last very long. We use ACQ-treated lumber, which does not require a warning label and is safe to handle, even without gloves. ACQ lumber combines an Alkaline, Quat (a fungicide) and 100% recycled copper to create an environmentally advanced wood preservative. ACQ is the lumber of choice for garden frames, children's outdoor play-sets and for use in deck construction. ACQ is the new environmental choice in pressure-treated lumber. The Ecolodge is not connected to the island's power grid. Instead, we use solar energy for lighting. The cottages and the restaurant are equipped with 12V lights (no outlets are available). Each has its own panel and battery. For cooking and refrigeration we have to use propane gas. Unfortunately the use of bio-gas is not a viable option. Solar heaters will be used for hot water in the restaurant and for the hot tub. The cottages all have their own sun showers. They are equipped with non-electrical low-flush or waterless Sun-mar composting toilets. Composting toilets work like the compost heap in your backyard, but are odorless and produce compost much faster. Composting toilets break down human waste and toilet paper through a natural process of micro-biological decomposition. Because most of the waste evaporates, only a limited quantity of finished compost is produced.
THINGS TO DO ON SABA: The network of historic trails (or “roads” as they are still called by most Sabans) enables you to do at least one different hike each day during a one-week visit. “Different” meaning: different in terms of duration, degree of difficulty, landscape, views, vegetation types, and cultural and geological features. The Ecolodge is located at a crossroads of trails, from where you can start hikes to Mt. Scenery, the villages of Windwardside, St. Johns and The Bottom, to Bottom Hill, Buds Mountain, and the ‘round-the-island hike to Upper Hellsgate. The new National Park on the property donated by Muriel Thissell of Auburn, Maine, features all vegetation belts from the desert-like dry scrub vegetation near the shoreline to the lush rainforest towards the top of Mt. Scenery. These can all be explored within a day’s hike. The Park also boasts some unique geological features such as the old sulfur mine and a hot spring, which heats sand rocks and a shallow pool at sea level to 80 Celsius. A complete exploration of the mine and the trip down to the hot spring are adventurous and require the services of a guide. The National Park area offers spectacular views of Green Island where Brown Noddies and Boobies breed. The lower slopes of the park are a prime area for watching seabirds, with Magnificent Frigatebirds chasing other seabirds and forcing them to release their prey, and dozens of Red-billed Tropicbirds returning to their nesting and roosting sites in the afternoon. With some 750-1,000 breeding pairs, Saba has the largest breeding colony of Red-billed tropicbirds in the Caribbean (and 12% of the global population)!
Among the terrestrial birds are several species that are restricted to the Lesser Antilles or are endangered. For example, the shy Trembler, which can be observed at higher elevations in the rainforest on Saba, is endangered on several other islands. Likewise, the Bridled Quail Dove, seriously endangered on many of the Lesser Antilles, can be seen here by early risers. And the Red-necked Pigeon, threatened by hunting on many islands, is still fairly common on Saba. While most stay-over visitors in Saba are SCUBA divers, we notice an increasing interest in combining land and sea activities. Apart from SCUBA diving, snorkeling and sea kayaking are highly recommended. Snorkellers have just as good a chance as SCUBA divers to see the endangered Hawksbill Turtle, Stingrays, Nurse Sharks, and Barracudas. And sea kayaking will give you an unrivalled view of Saba’s imposing volcanic formations, steep rocky shores, and seabird nesting sites. You choose what you want to do - no chance of getting bored!
SPECIALS:
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Host: 
Hiking, diving and snorkeling trips can be arranged at additional costs:
ABOUT OUR COTTAGES:
The stay-over visitors to the island are primarily attracted by Saba’s natural and cultural beauty and engage in such activities as SCUBA diving, snorkeling, hiking and walking, bird watching, painting and writing, or simply rest and relaxation. And Saba offers plenty opportunities for all of that. Here are some ideas of what you might do during your stay as well as bits of natural history information on Saba that you will not normally find in the brochures and guidebooks. 
Saba is also home to the Saba Anole Lizard, which is found nowhere else in the world. The Red-bellied Racer Snake is now restricted to Saba and St. Eustatius, after having become extinct on neighboring St. Kitts and Nevis, due to predation by the Mongoose. The Common Iguana on Saba – seriously threatened by hunting throughout the Caribbean - appears to be genetically distinct from the same species on other islands and may be a separate subspecies. Although not yet confirmed, the endangered West Indian Iguana (Iguana delicatissima) may also still occur on Saba.
