Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba
TerritoryAdministered by: Netherlands
“Three Dutch municipalities 8,000 km from The Hague, and none of them alike”
Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba are special municipalities of the Netherlands — not a country, not a colony, but Dutch local authorities with US dollars in the till. They came under this arrangement in 2010 when the Netherlands Antilles dissolved, and they have almost nothing in common with each other beyond the flag.
Bonaire is flat, dry and built around its reef, which is a protected marine park you can enter from the road at seventy marked points. Saba is a single volcanic cone with a cloud forest on top, five hundred steps between villages and a 400-metre runway. Sint Eustatius was the richest trading port in the Caribbean in the 1770s and is now the quietest island with a scheduled flight.
Highlights
Bonaire's shore diving
Seventy marked entries around the island, a marine park since 1979, and a nature fee that funds it. Hire a pickup, load tanks, drive to a yellow stone and walk in.
Mount Scenery, Saba
At 887 m (2,910 ft), the highest point in the Kingdom of the Netherlands, up 1,064 steps through cloud forest.
Saba's runway
Around 400 m between two cliffs — the shortest commercial runway in the world, flown only by certified crews in small aircraft.
The Quill, Sint Eustatius
A dormant volcano with a rainforest inside the crater, climbable in a morning, with the ruined warehouses of the 18th-century port below it.
When to go
JanDry and breezy; high season.
FebCarnival on Bonaire.
MarDry and windy — windsurfing at its best.
Getting in
Checking your passport…
Before you fly
Passport Index dataset
What it costs
A day in Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba
Comfortable · sample day
≈ $162
Line items are real prices we track. The daily budget is an editorial estimate for this level, not their sum.
Where this sits among 55 countries we have costed
Bonaire's high season runs December to April and its weather barely changes the rest of the year. Saba and Statia quieten sharply in the storm months.
Updated Aug 2026 · Editorial synthesis — STINAPA fee schedule, Winair fares, island accommodation listings (2025–2026) · confidence medium
Excludes international flights — they depend on where you fly from.
Regions to know
5Kralendijk and southern Bonaire
The town, the salt pans, the slave huts and the flamingo sanctuary.
Washington Slagbaai
Bonaire's national park in the north: cactus, cliffs and the best snorkelling.
Klein Bonaire
An uninhabited islet offshore, reached by water taxi, ringed by reef.
Saba
Windwardside, The Bottom, Mount Scenery and the diving pinnacles offshore.
Sint Eustatius
Oranjestad, the Quill crater and the ruins of the 18th-century free port.
Practical guide
Getting there
Flamingo (BON) on Bonaire has direct flights from Amsterdam and North America. Saba and Sint Eustatius are reached by small aircraft or ferry from Sint Maarten.
Getting around
A pickup on Bonaire — everyone hires one for the tanks. Saba and Statia are small enough to walk with taxis for the hills.
Money & costs
US dollar is the official currency on all three. Cards work on Bonaire; carry cash on the other two.
Safety
Low crime throughout. Diving discipline and the Saba road are the real hazards.
Health
A hospital on Bonaire with a hyperbaric chamber; small clinics on Saba and Statia with evacuation to Sint Maarten or Colombia.
SIM & internet
Good 4G on Bonaire, adequate on the other two. EU roaming does not apply.
Driving
Saba's single road was declared impossible to build by Dutch engineers and was built anyway by a local man who took a correspondence course — it is called The Road, and its gradients and hairpins deserve respect.
Rules change — verify with an official source before you rent.
No verified partners here yet — all 6 country seats are open.
Before you go
Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and SabaFrequently asked questions
Are these islands in the EU?
No. They are part of the Netherlands but hold Overseas Country and Territory status, outside the EU customs and VAT area and outside Schengen. A Schengen visa does not admit you and EU roaming does not apply.
Which island for what?
Bonaire for diving, windsurfing and flamingos; Saba for hiking, dramatic scenery and quiet; Sint Eustatius for history and having a rainforest crater largely to yourself.
Do I pay to dive on Bonaire?
Yes. A compulsory nature fee covers the marine park for a calendar year and is bought online before arrival. It funds the park that makes the diving what it is.