Mauna Kea Stargazing Tour Experience with Free Professional Photos - Epic Tours
Overall Rating
5.00
Fabulous event
Reviewed by: Mike, 2024/01/02This tour was one of my families favorite adventure while vacationing in Hawaii. James, our guide, was great. Very knowledgeable, had a sense of humor, and did a great job with the photos. He shared some of his other work with our group and his photos are outstanding.
I would do this trip again! But I would pack some additional clothes; it was cold at that elevation.
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| Attended as: | Families |
| Activity Date: | 2023/09/18 |
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A MUST DO!
Reviewed by: Rachel D, 2023/10/17This stargazing experience was absolutely fantastic! James did an amazing job with explaining what we were seeing and keeping the group engaged. He was informative yet entertaining…and the pictures almost look unreal. As our family returned to the hotel, our kids raved about how much fun they had. Definitely an experience not to miss!
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| Attended as: | Families |
| Activity Date: | 2023/10/15 |
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Loved this evening
Reviewed by: Kara, 2023/07/31Our photos were nothing short of amazing. Thank you to the Epic team for this epic tour!!!!
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| Attended as: | Friends |
| Activity Date: | 2023/06/16 |
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Amazing experience!
Reviewed by: J&T Mather, 2023/05/13This was an absolutely amazing experience. We booked this fantastic tour short notice and I'm so grateful there were a few time slots still available that worked with out schedule for us.
Our guide, James, is truly an expert astronomer and has a fantastic personality. To see first hand some of the astronomical wonders we've heard about and seen in books or online was breathtaking.
I would absolutely recommend the Mauna Kea Stargazing Tour Experience as a must do when on the Big Island. In fact, I would do it again because what you see one night will be different on another night!
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2023/04/24 |
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Best tour I did in Hawaii!
Reviewed by: Eric, 2023/04/01Amazing guide! Super knowledgable and passionate! He knew places to go to have absolute privacy. It was a bit cloudy when I went so he offered for me to come again for free, and both times were stunning. I learned a lot and the pics are unlike anything else you'll ever get in your life.
We rented a car so it was great to have a tour where you just show up for the stargazing time, instead of spending hours driving around picking up other tourists.
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| Attended as: | Solo Travelers |
| Activity Date: | 2023/03/12 |
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Giddy!
Reviewed by: From Long Island NY, 2023/03/26James was awesome! Our family had a summit tour booked with another company that canceled stated that road was closed, not sure that was true, as I’m scrambling to find an alternative other company said they were still going. Anyway, God‘s got a plan and I came upon epic tours. Even though this wasn’t a “summit” tour my son has a AAS in astronomy and was focused on star gazing and James delivered! James provided chairs to jackets if needed. And gave us a tour of the night sky! And we have a great picture to remember it!
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| Attended as: | Families |
| Activity Date: | 2023/03/24 |
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Starstruck!!
Reviewed by: Jason, 2023/01/25My family included two children and two seniors; thus reserved this trip as it was less strenuous (lower altitude, shorter time). Thought we'd see some stars and hear some stories, and was worried whether my family members would find it interesting.
Actual experience threw my expectations out the window. We usually see stars in pictures, in a way that makes them feel abstract and unreal. The way James showed us the stars made them feel so real and close. And it was totally awesome not just for me, but for everyone! We did quite a few activities on the island, and this was easily the most memorable.
One piece of advice; it is very very cold up there. I wore my pajamas under my pants and the thick down jacket James gave me, but was still shivering after about an hour. Dress very warmly, cuz this is worth it!
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| Attended as: | Families |
| Activity Date: | 2023/01/15 |
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BEST STARGAZING TOUR!!! The professional photo with this great tour gives you awesome lasting memories!!
Reviewed by: Deborah , 2022/12/17You should definitely do this tour. This is the best stargazing tour! I was trying to book the other tours but because of our location it would of required us to drive across the island to meet up and then gather with others to ride together to stargaze. It was like a 7 or 8 hour tour. I chose this tour because we could pick a time slot and just meet and stargaze and the tour was only 2 hours AND with a photo. On our way it was pouring rain. We thought the tour would be canceled. But James sent us a new location. There was no rain and perfect place to be in awe of all of the stars we would be able to see. His knowledge of astronomy and his professional photography made the experience more memorable. I didn't think that much of the photo we would receive. But after getting the photo was was in awe!! We was not only able to learn so much about astronomy, but we was able to have the best souvenir of our experience!
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2022/11/21 |
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Oh my Heavens!
Reviewed by: Greg , 2022/10/23This experience is beyond human words to describe. We had an absolutely perfect night with a crescent moon that set shortly after we got set up. The Milky Way was more spectacular than we could have imagined. James’ knowledge of what we were looking at was top notch. There were a couple of personal disappointments and cons but they do not diminish the rating of the experience.
I had expected some serious telescopes that would be used. James had a top end mount and camera with some powerful lenses but when it came to looking at Jupiter and Saturn, I get bigger and better images with my homemade 6” reflector. I was really wondering if he was using his equipment to show us Andromeda and what I think he said was the Dumbbell nebula or if he was showing us stock photos. He homed in on those two objects very quickly for a setup that was merely put down and “kinda” leveled.
The other comment is about the cost. James is an expert and one expects to pay for expertise. But for an adventure that does not include pickup except for about a mile from the destination and has no major equipment like a submarine that the Atlantis has to maintain, the price seems high. Especially since the included photos are about worthless, you are forced to purchase the full resolution package if you want to share your photos with anything other than your phone.
That being said, experiencing God’s creation like that was amazing!
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2022/09/28 |
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Five stars for the Milky Way!
Reviewed by: Fonda, 2022/05/27James is an awesome tour guide. Amazing views of the Milky Way and many many stars and celestial groups. They provided parkas and a ride. This exceeded all expectations. James is a wealth of knowledge and could have talked for days.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2022/05/24 |
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James was amazing!
Reviewed by: Beth , 2022/04/24We had such a great time on our stargazing tour! James was fantastic at engaging our kids and we learned so much. Our pictures are amazing.
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| Attended as: | Families with Young Children |
| Activity Date: | 2022/03/31 |
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Great informational tour
Reviewed by: Courtney H, 2022/02/23Great informational tour. Loved gazing at the stars and having James describe all the constellations. Best photo too! The jackets he provided were a life saver.
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| Attended as: | Friends |
| Activity Date: | 2022/01/24 |
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An astrophotographer's dream
Reviewed by: Margaret and Gary, 2021/07/31An awe inspiring experience, even for my amateur astrophotographer husband. Beautiful photos worthy of placing on our walls.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2021/07/05 |
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Amazing night!
Reviewed by: Monica, 2021/07/12This was by far one of the best things I’ve ever done. I would do it again in a heartbeat if I was given the chance.
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| Attended as: | Families |
| Activity Date: | 2021/07/10 |
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Kids Loved It and Adults Too!
Reviewed by: Tom P., 2021/06/09This was such an awe-inspiring tour! My kids ages 10,12, 15, and 17 were super excited after seeing this and after our entire Hawaii trip thought this was the best event we did. The guide, James, was so knowledgeable and clearly has a passion for astronomy and photography that makes this very enjoyable. Great photos and great experience. It was also the 2nd star gazing tour we booked when the first tour told us our younger kids could not go to the top of Mauna Kea summit because of altitude sickness. But this tour was very accommodating and it takes place at a lower altitude (more kid friendly) but don't worry the star gazing from this location is top notch! I didn't feel like anything was missing. We had so much fun!
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| Attended as: | Families |
| Activity Date: | 2021/06/04 |
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Highlight of our entire Hawaii Trip
Reviewed by: Adam, 2020/03/14Our guide was very knowledgeable and friendly, and clearly had the same passion for astronomy we did. He took fantastic romantic photos with the galaxy in the background, while explaining what it is we were looking at. It felt like being on another planet up on Mauna Kea! Would definitely recommend, it’s an unforgettable experience.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2020/03/11 |
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Spectacular
Reviewed by: AJ89, 2019/05/28Our tour guide was personable, knowledgeable and had incredible talent as a photographer. He has a great eye for nature’s beauty and is without a doubt a perfectionist. The tour covered a lot of ground in a relatively short amount of time without feeling rushed and I was happy to be taken to spots I wouldn’t have ever found on my own.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2019/05/25 |
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Fabulous time under the Stars!
Reviewed by: Travelooza, 2019/02/07We enjoyed it a lot. We wish we had gone earlier in our trip so we would’ve had the opportunity to build other activities around what we saw on this trip. James runs this business on his own and he does a lot of research and individualizes each trip to the current conditions of the atmosphere and weather. The photos he took of us were amazing. I could see couples booking this for engagement, honeymoon or anniversary photos. The star gazing was the highlight. We see stars from our house very well but it doesn’t even compare to the clarity of the sky at that altitude. I would definitely recommend this excursion.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2019/01/26 |
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Really epic!
Reviewed by: C D, 2019/01/28James was a very knowledgeable and chill guide. He also takes amazing pictures! This is a really unique tour that you can't find elsewhere. Definitely recommend for those who visit the big island.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2019/01/25 |
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Stargazing Like No Other!
Reviewed by: Mara, 2018/12/02Highly recommend this excursion. Great way to see the entire island from lava rock to waterfalls to Japanese gardens to a lave tube cave, it was all amazing. But the best part is the stargazing on Mauna Kea. Its like nothing you have experienced before. To see the sky in this way was simply inspirational. James from Epic Tours gave us a amazing tour and having pictures taken all along the way was the icing on the cake. Definitely a must do on the Big Island.
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| Attended as: | Friends |
| Activity Date: | 2018/11/29 |
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We enjoyed the tour very much!
Reviewed by: Alice Chia-Hua Tsai, 2018/11/28James was very knowledgeable and we did learn a lot about the big island. Walking in the lava cave was fun, don’t think you can do that elsewhere. The stargazing pictures he took was phenomenal! He even showed us how to take professional-looking pictures by just using iPhone! Definitely recommend this tour! You are gonna love it!
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2018/11/21 |
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