Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean - Clean Breaks: 500 New Ways to See the World - page 232

off to a kitchen-café in a villager's home. While
donkeys bray and smoke curls into the crisp
mountain air, you can tuck into soft tortillas,
peppers stuffed with goat's cheese and refried
beans, all washed down with herb and orange-
peel liqueur.

Need to know You can get to the Sierra Norte
by bus from Oaxaca City (2hr). For details of
excursions and rates see W www.sierranorte.org.
mx; T [phone]. Cabañas cost M$479
(US$33) a night and sleep up to two adults and
two children.

312 discover saBa

A world away from the all-inclusive beach
resorts, Saba is one of the unspoilt gems in
the Caribbean. It's at the top of the Eastern
Caribbean chain, northwest of St Kitts, and
though only 13 square kilometres, there's a good
mix of accommodation, a surprising number of
places to eat, and several walking trails.
One of the best hikes, the aptly named Mount
Scenery Trail, threads through thick rainforest up
to the top of the island, where there are fabulous
views. Ecolodge Rendez-Vous, a small, family-run
resort, is just a short way up the trail: eleven
individually themed solar-powered cottages
(without phones or TV) scatter abandoned
farmland, while the restaurant serves up great
meals, which could include jerk chicken, papaya
salad or the owner's home-made apple pie.
Saba is perhaps best known, however, for its
exhilarating diving (you can book dive packages
through Ecolodge Rendez-Vous). Like Bonaire
(see p.222), a marine park extends around
the entire island, administered by the Saba
Conservation Foundation ( W www.sabapark.
org). The charge to dive is US$3 per person,
and there are 29 permanent dive moorings, all
reachable in 5-20min by boat from Fort Bay,
the main port in the southwest of the island.
Lurking beneath the clear waters is a whole
host of spiny, coloured or spongy creatures
- lobsters, yellowtail snappers and stingrays,

along with majestic turtles and sharks.
The Saba Conservation Foundation also
welcomes volunteers to help with conservation of
both the island and its marine life. On land, jobs
may include maintaining hiking trails, building
footpaths and helping staff in the trail shop, while
in the water, you can help out with maintenance
of the moorings, monitor the status of the reefs,
and conduct environmental education sessions for
local schools and the community.

Sunrise Cottage; View of the
valley from the Mount Scenery
Trail path on the Eastern
Caribbean island of Saba

Need to know The Edge ferry ( W www.stmaarten-
activities.com; T [phone]) runs Wed-Sun to
and from Simpson Bay, St Maarten to Fort Bay, Saba
(75-90min) or Dawn I' ferry ( W www.sabactransport.
com; T [phone]) runs Tues, Thurs and
Sat from Fort Bay/Philipsburg to St Maarten. For
prices and bookings at Ecolodge Rendez-Vous see
W www.ecolodge-saba.com; T [phone]. Dive
packages with PADI-recognized operators can be
arranged from the lodge.