(All Reviews) Page 8) Mauna Kea & Stargazing Tours (Outdoor Adventures), Big Island tours & activities, fun things to do in Big Island | HawaiiActivities.com

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All Reviews for Mauna Kea & Stargazing Tours in Big Island

Overall Rating

4.79 4.79 / 5

Reviews

338 reviews

Mauna Kea Summit Sunrise & Stargazing Tour

Breathtaking Views! A Once in a Lifetime Experience!

Reviewed by: Nichole B, 2018/09/03

My friend and I went on the stargazing and sunrise tour to the Summit of Mauna Kea yesterday. Todd was our tour guide and extremely personable. He was also a wealth of knowledge on constellations, and local landscape. The stargazing was outstanding, we saw satellites, shooting stars, and a ton of constellations not visible usually at home. The summit was breathtaking, watching the sun come up we could see the whole island and Maui from up there. It was like being on top of the world. I definitely recommend it!

Comments from activity operators

Aloha, this is Sumire from NatureSchool.

Thank you very much for joining our sunrise tour and posting your review!
I'm happy to hear that you enjoyed the tour.
Our company's tour guides have much knowledge about stars and Big Island.
We can see bunch of stars that are invisible in a town.
Thank you for choosing our tour.
We're looking forward to seeing you again.

Sincerely,

NatureSchool
Sumire

Rating:
Attended as: Friends
Activity Date: 2018/09/02
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Mauna Kea Summit Sunset & Stargazing Tour with Dinner - Hawaii Forest & Trail

Very few places could match this experience

Reviewed by: Darra, 2018/07/29

Very few places could match this experience. The location; the slow climb up the giant sloping mountain. We went through rain, sun, even through a cloud; through the lava landscape, ranch lands and very bumpy rocky last stretch of road to reach the top! And wow it was a view from the top.
Be warned; it is very very cold; not what you expect from your Hawaiian break! You get nice warm coats from the tour group though (and later a little hot cocoa and brownie to keep you going!)
As the sun sets; you can see the mountains shadow on the other side; a glimpse of Maui and the glint of the sun off the telescopes preparing for their nights work. You can see the odd bit of movement as they open up. As soon as the suns down; its all go though. We have to leave the area quickly as the lights from the cars interfere with the telescopes (so no, there is no looking around inside them; if that is what you're hoping for in this trip!).
We move down slope a little to a good spot to see the huge expanse of clear, cloudless sky and the abundance of stars.
It is slightly interrupted with the brightness of the moon (so depending how long your stay is in Hawaii, plan for a darker night, unless you love the moon!); but not enough to stop us seeing nebula, planets and stars - its a really interesting spot to see both the northern and southern skies.
We did also spot a bit of the glow from the erupting volcano

Rating:
Attended as: Couples
Activity Date: 2018/06/20
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Mauna Kea Summit Sunset & Stargazing Tour with Dinner - Hawaii Forest & Trail

Cool Views from the Top of the World!

Reviewed by: Ned from New Jersey, 2018/07/28

Our guide Jeff picked us up from the Pu'u Huluhulu Cinder Cone parking lot, at the base of the road up to the summit. We had a very nice pre-packaged dinner at the base camp, then rode up to the visitor center and onward to the observatories. A bumpy and steep ride, I was very happy to have an experienced driver at the wheel!
At the top the weather was cool and clear and good for viewing a sunset, then we went down to a slightly lower lot to view stars and planets through a good quality Celestron scope.... the clear air and high altitude really added detail! First time I have been able to make out the rings of Saturn, and four of Jupiter's moons were posing really well for us! Some really excellent deep space views too! Check out a cool image of the moon from the Celestron scope....

Highly recommended, especially if you live somewhere with so much haze and light pollution you don't get to see that stars that well!
Mahalo!!

  • A nearly full moon over Mauna Kea 27July2018

Rating:
Attended as: Couples
Activity Date: 2018/07/25
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Mauna Kea Evening Stargazing & Daytime Solar Viewing Tour with Dinner

One of the highlights of our trip!

Reviewed by: Hawaiian First Timer, 2018/07/24

Husband and I throughly enjoyed the excursion! Our guide blew us away with his well rounded knowledge of the island, its geography and history. The coffee farm and meal were a special treat before an evening of stargazing.

  • Coffee Farm View

Rating:
Attended as: Couples
Activity Date: 2018/07/20
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マウナケア山頂 サンセット&星空観測ツアー <午後/天体望遠鏡/夕食付/英語ガイド> by ハワイフォレスト&トレイル

最高の体験!

Reviewed by: CORSAIR, 2018/07/24

全てが素晴らしいツアーでした。

マウナケア山頂は雲の上であり、とても美しいサンセットと星空観賞、星空撮影を満喫できました。キラウエアの溶岩が空を赤く照らす現象も山頂から眺められたことに驚きました。

ガイドの説明や案内のレベルも高く、様々な分野にとても詳しい方でした。
食事場所の雰囲気や環境、味も文句なしです。

Comments from activity operators

あなたのレビューのためのマハロ。またお会いできるのを楽しみにしています!

Rating:
Attended as: Families
Activity Date: 2018/07/15
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Mauna Kea Summit Sunset & Stargazing Tour with Dinner - Hawaii Forest & Trail

Absolutely wonderful experience

Reviewed by: YOPPI, 2018/07/21

The tour guide Herald was very nice, friendly and knowledgeble on native hawaiian's culture, ecology and astronomy. We got to see a "natural planetarium" in the mountain including Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and Venus. Coming from a big city we don't see stars in the sky, so the view was just breath taking and we were soooo glad we participated in the tour. I guess you can go to the summit and see stars on your own but I'd strongly recommend this tour. Because I think it will give you a whole new experience and view on the island and their culture.
Dinner was tasty too. I was expecting a lot less.

Rating:
Attended as: Couples
Activity Date: 2018/07/13
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Mauna Kea Summit Sunset & Stargazing Tour with Dinner - Hawaii Forest & Trail

Family Trip

Reviewed by: Jon Milesky, 2018/07/16

This company was professional and went out of their way to make sure that everything was in place to make our trip first class. From calling the day before to confirm with us on meeting location and time to hot brownies at the end of the tour. Everything was great and the guide took the time to get to know us so she could make our experience the best it could be.

I would highly recommend this company.

Rating:
Attended as: Families
Activity Date: 2018/07/11
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Mauna Kea Summit Sunset & Stargazing Tour with Dinner - Hawaii Forest & Trail

Great Experience - Great tour

Reviewed by: Athan, 2018/06/05

the views from the top of Mauna Kea are breathtaking, despite the cold. Jeff, our host was the best tour guide, funny, friendly and veru knowledgeable of the the tour and the history of the sites. All along the tour he would explain the site you are crossing and the topography.
The star gazing experience is somehting cool for someone neer seen into space before.

Brownies and hot chocolate at the end of the tour is the epitpomy of a great evening.

Rating:
Attended as: Couples
Activity Date: 2018/05/28
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Mauna Kea Summit Adventures Sunset & Stargazing Guided Tour with Transportation

Excellent tour

Reviewed by: Steven, 2018/05/20

Tour actually worked out better than expected. The tour vans are nice and new, the guides are nice and knowledgeable. You go right to the telescope summit and watch the sunrise followed by a great star gazing experience.

The lasagna ain't great but bring snacks and you'll have a great time

Rating:
Attended as: Couples
Activity Date: 2018/05/17
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マウナケア山頂 サンセット&星空観測ツアー <午後/天体望遠鏡/夕食付/英語ガイド> by ハワイフォレスト&トレイル

沢山の星と素晴らしいサンセットを見ることができました。

Reviewed by: mpb, 2018/05/19

とにかくガイドのヘラルドがフレンドリーで、車の長い道のりもグループを盛り上げてくれました。ハワイのローカル情報もたくさん教えてくれました。英語が分かる方なら日本語ツアーより参加しやすいと思います。
当日はコナの天気は良かったもののマウナケアに近づくほど雨で、山頂の天気を心配しましたが、山頂に着くとそこは雲の上で心配無用でした。
マウナケアの山頂は本当に寒かったです。ライトダウンを着て4枚も着込んだ上に貸してくれる大きなダウンを着ても寒かったです。
あれだけ注意事項に上着必須、長ズボンと書いてあっても用意していない人もいて、かなり寒かったらしくバスの中でほとんどを過ごすこととなり、見ていて残念でした。(そのため、防寒具必須です)
ほかの団体ツアーと一緒になる部分もあり、説明が聞き取れなかったり、星を見るには厳禁の車のライトやホワイトライトが行き交うことも多かったですが、流れ星を何度も見ることができ、感動的でした!お勧めです。

Rating:
Attended as: Couples
Activity Date: 2018/05/15
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Mauna Kea Summit Adventures Sunset & Stargazing Guided Tour with Transportation

Knowledgeable and interesting

Reviewed by: Marco and Nancy, 2018/05/11

The tour was very interesting and Arthur our tour guide was very knowledgeable of the region. He answered all of our questions about the local environment as well as the history of the Hawaiian people.

It was cold at the summit and a sweatshirt should be worn if you cannot handle the cold even with the atlantic parka and gloves that is supplied.

The stargazing spot was incredibly clear and we could see hundreds of stars. We were also able to spot Venus, Jupiter, and several star systems through the telescopes provided.

Rating:
Attended as: Couples
Activity Date: 2018/05/07
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Mauna Kea Summit Sunset & Stargazing Tour with Dinner - Hawaii Forest & Trail

Wow!

Reviewed by: MTTravelers, 2018/03/07

This was one tour we will never forget! The views from the top of Mauna Kea are indescribable. You truly feel that you are on top of the world! The other positive parts of the adventure - the tour was well organize with attention to safety, tour guide Geraldo was very knowledgeable, the food was delicious and the others on the tour were a hoot to spend an evening with. If you go, be sure to dress warmly! The coats provided were great, but it was chilly prior to going up. We highly recommend this tour!

Rating:
Attended as: Couples
Activity Date: 2018/03/01
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Mauna Kea Summit Adventures Sunset & Stargazing Guided Tour with Transportation

Great change-up experience in Hawaii!

Reviewed by: Greg, 2018/01/15

This trip was a really fun experience as a contrast to the normal beach and ocean explorations that a visit to Hawaii normally includes.
The guide was very informative and the trip was planned well. The van was very comfortable (big Mercedes).
Climbing above the clouds made it feel like we were going to another world. The sunset from the top amongst all the observatory domes was incredibly colorful and the photography was cool with the domes.
The second part when we went down the mountain and set up the telescopes was fun too. The guide had an excellent presentation and mastery of the topics.
I highly recommend-it was out of the ordinary and visually spectacular.

Rating:
Attended as: Couples
Activity Date: 2018/01/12
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Mauna Kea Summit Adventures Sunset & Stargazing Guided Tour with Transportation

This Was The Highlight of Our Hawaii Trip

Reviewed by: Sop, 2018/01/09

Our guides were Arthur and Justin. Both are funny and knowledgeable. This tour surprised us in so many ways. It is crazy that you can go from beach weather to freezing winds in a matter of hours. The parkas definitely help. I would recommend some layers of clothes, jeans, and good shoes. Bring a scarf or beanie. For those who live in the country, you do not realize how fortunate you are to not have light pollution. The stars that we saw were amazing. Your eyes adjust and focus so well on all the bright twinkles because there's no surrounding light. It's hard to explain but you feel like a child who's just seen something new and cool. Light pollution is real. On a good night in the city, I can probably see maybe 10 stars. Here, the volume is overwhelming. The location of Hawaii lets you see a lot more. Not only do you see the stars, but you can see distant galaxies as well our own milky way. Primitive, primal, natural are some other ways to describe experience.

The sunset on Mauna Kea was also a fantastic experience. Arthur and Justin are safe and excellent drivers. You see rental cars driving up the volcano on unpaved roads when they shouldn't. It's better to have the experts take you to the summit.

We attended this tour January 3, 2018. This gave us the rare opportunity to see the wolf moon and all the stars. I never knew how much light the moon provided at night.

I would do this again and recommend it to anybody who visits the Big Island.

  • moon through the telescope

  • sunset

Rating:
Attended as: Couples
Activity Date: 2018/01/03
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Mauna Kea Summit Sunset & Stargazing Tour with Dinner - Hawaii Forest & Trail

Fantastic experience

Reviewed by: Christine S. , 2017/12/30

Our original trip was postponed due to snow on the summit of Mauna Kea but we rescheduled and had an unforgettable experience. Our guide Hank was great. As well as his astronomy expertise, he provided lots of information on Hawaiian culture. The views on the way up to the summit were spectacular. Great photographic opportunities of the sunset, views and night sky.
I would thoroughly recommend this trip.

Rating:
Attended as: Families
Activity Date: 2017/12/04
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Mauna Kea Summit Sunset & Stargazing Tour with Dinner - Hawaii Forest & Trail

Excellent narration, food and drive

Reviewed by: Richard V., 2017/11/18

This was my second trip up to the summit of Mauna Kea for the Sunset & Stargazing Adventure. The drive up this time was smoother than the first, thankfully, and our guide was excellent. You could tell he was well-informed on all the topics he discussed. The catered Hawaiian dinner was very tasty, and in sufficient quantity to satisfy a good appetite. The only drawback this time was that the clock-drive on the telescope was not working, which took away from our ability to look at celestial objects at high magnification. I recommend this trip, and also that the tour company repair their clock drives!

Rating:
Attended as: Friends
Activity Date: 2017/11/04
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Mauna Kea Summit Sunset & Stargazing Tour with Dinner - Hawaii Forest & Trail

Wow!!

Reviewed by: Curt, 2017/11/17

This was one of the best tours ever! The high lite was the star gazing, holy cow was it fantastic!

Rating:
Attended as: Couples
Activity Date: 2017/11/14
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Mauna Kea Summit Sunset & Stargazing Tour with Dinner - Hawaii Forest & Trail

Awesome trip

Reviewed by: Brad, 2017/11/15

We had a great time in our trip. Our guide jeff was fantastic and took the time to make sure everyone had a great night. Highly recommend this trip.

Rating:
Attended as: Couples
Activity Date: 2017/11/12
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Mauna Kea Summit Sunset & Stargazing Tour with Dinner - Hawaii Forest & Trail

Almost Heaven

Reviewed by: Ralphg, 2017/11/12

If you have the opportunity to visit Hawaii and the big island is on your agenda, the tour to the top of Mauna Kea is a must do !! The journey up and down the mountain is exhilarating, the views on the way up, stunning and the views from the top at sunset - unforgettable!!!!
Of course the weather gods can have their say and you could be unlucky.
Very impressed by the capability of our driver Joe who also made our star gazing even more memorable with his explanations and knowledge. You will leave with an impression of how “special” it is to visit the top of Mauna Kea and with an understanding of why the Hawaiian people see it as a place to be treated with respect

Rating:
Attended as: Solo Travelers
Activity Date: 2017/11/09
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Mauna Kea Summit Adventures Sunset & Stargazing Guided Tour with Transportation

Great tour~

Reviewed by: Yang, 2017/11/06

Its was a great tour as advertised, Pick up was on time. and Gordon is a good driver, friendly, take good cares of everyone. He and his buddy provided a great service for the entire tour. This is a great tour to take if you are just visiting big island for vacation. We were traveling light, dont want to prepare winter cloth. the tour provides what we need on the mountain. It was one of the best tour we took in big island. definitely will do again~~

Rating:
Attended as: Couples
Activity Date: 2017/10/15
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Mauna Kea Summit Sunset & Stargazing Tour with Dinner - Hawaii Forest & Trail

Mauna Kea, awesome!!

Reviewed by: Andrea, 2017/10/22

Excellent, just do it, unforgettable experience!! Thanks to Hawaii Forest and Trail group, make sure your tour is through them, in fact make sure all your Big Island tours are through them, they are AWESOME!!

Rating:
Attended as: Solo Travelers
Activity Date: 2017/10/19
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マウナケア山頂 サンセット&星空観測ツアー <午後/天体望遠鏡/夕食付/英語ガイド> by ハワイフォレスト&トレイル

こんなに素敵な体験は...

Reviewed by: クリスピー, 2017/09/27

以前からテレビで見て気になっていたマウナケア山頂でのサンセット!さらに天体観測もさせてもらえて最高の1日でした!
新婚旅行で夫婦で参加しました。
当初、日本語ガイドのツアーを申し込もうと思っていたところ、既に一杯だったためこちらのツアーに申し込みました。
英語がほぼ出来ないため、多少心配していましたが、ツアーの最中はほぼ100%英語だったにもかかわらず、ツアーガイドさんのお気遣いと、偶然一緒に参加した日本人の家族の方のおかげで、とても楽しむ事ができました!
他の日本語ガイドのツアーの方々もいらっしゃって様子を拝見致しましたが、ツアーの内容や質、お客様への配慮やとても自由な感じでの進行など、このツアーに参加出来てよかったと改めて感じています。
天体観測中のホットチョコレートとブラウニー、あのおいしさはわすれられません。
本当に最高のツアーでした!ありがとうございました!

  • 最高の景色!まさしく絶景でした!

Rating:
Attended as: Couples
Activity Date: 2017/09/23
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Mauna Kea Summit Sunset & Stargazing Tour with Dinner - Hawaii Forest & Trail

What an amazing experience!!

Reviewed by: Karen from MO, 2017/09/24

This trip was the highlight of our trip to the Big Island. We had a great time and enjoyed the experience immensely. I was a little disappointed when they called me that morning and told us the road to the summit was closed and we might not be able to go to the top. Since we were on a limited time schedule we decided to go anyway. Nate was our guide and picked us up in Kona. On the ride to Mauna Kea, he explained about the different kinds of lava flows and some of the myths about Pele. When we got to the sheep station, Nate set up our meal for us and explained about life as a sheep rancher on the island. He promised that if we didn't get to go to the summit, he would make sure we at least saw the sunset from another spot. Supper was very good and it was fun getting to know the other tourists with us. After we ate, we got the good news that the road had opened and we were able to go to the top. What a gorgeous sight!! We saw the sun set on one side and turned around and saw the full moon coming up on the other. After watching the sunset, we went back down to visitor center and did some stargazing. Nate was very knowledgeable about the constellations. We were able to see the rings around Saturn and other constellations that night. The hot chocolate and warm brownies tasted good after being up on the summit where it was pretty chilly! I would definitely recommend this adventure for anyone visiting the Big Island, If we are fortunate enough to return, we will be doing this again!! Thank you Nate for a great evening.

Rating:
Attended as: Couples
Activity Date: 2017/09/05
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Mauna Kea Summit Sunset & Stargazing Tour with Dinner - Hawaii Forest & Trail

Joe!

Reviewed by: Nay, 2017/09/24

Joe was amazing!!! His passion for astronomy was so refreshing and we loved his poem at the end.

Rating:
Attended as: Couples
Activity Date: 2017/09/21
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Mauna Kea Summit Sunset & Stargazing Tour with Dinner - Hawaii Forest & Trail

Mauna kea

Reviewed by: EdL, 2017/09/04

All good. Hank was great. Zzzzxzzzzzzxxzxzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Rating:
Attended as: Couples
Activity Date: 2017/09/01
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Mauna Kea Summit Adventures Sunset & Stargazing Guided Tour with Transportation

Experience of a Lifetime!

Reviewed by: Beachin' Besties, 2017/08/16

If you have to choose one paid activity/tour to do on the Big Island, my friends and I definitely recommend the Mauna Kea Summit and Stargazing tour! It was an experience of a lifetime! From the AMAZING views from sunset to stargazing to the amazing, informative and friendly staff, I would definitely do this tour again, if only for the views!

Rating:
Attended as: Friends
Activity Date: 2017/08/13
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Mauna Kea Summit Sunset & Stargazing Tour with Dinner - Hawaii Forest & Trail

Spectacular scenery, stars and experience

Reviewed by: RBP, 2017/08/02

The sights were amazing and unique. The guide was amazing and knowledgeable. I have traveled all over the world and this would be one of my top 20 experiences. Tour arrangements were excellent.

Comments from activity operators

Mahalo RBP, we are thrilled you had a great experience and thank you for letting us know.
Aloha,
Dan Berman
General Manager
HFT - Kohala Zipline

Rating:
Attended as: Couples
Activity Date: 2017/07/25
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Mauna Kea Summit Adventures Sunset & Stargazing Guided Tour with Transportation

Awesome tour!

Reviewed by: Shannon, 2017/07/26

We learned so much about the island volcanos on this tour. The views are amazing and star gazing is outstanding. Believe the advice to be prepared for the cold. It was 37 at the top (in July)! We were fortunate to see the glow of the lava from the volcano. Apparently an unusual occurance.

Rating:
Attended as: Couples
Activity Date: 2017/07/21
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Mauna Kea Summit Adventures Sunset & Stargazing Guided Tour with Transportation

Tiur to Mauna Kea was a highlight of my vacation

Reviewed by: Alex K., 2017/06/25

I had a star gazing tour to Mauna Kea and have to admit this was a real STAR of my 2-week travel across Big Island. Our tour guide Maka had deep extensive knowledge in geology, volcanology, astronomy, ethnography, history of Hawaii and was just a very nice guy and interesting interlocutor. Maka was so kind to call me about my precious photo filters I left behind in the tour bus ad help me get them back. Thank you, Maka!

Rating:
Attended as: Couples
Activity Date: 2017/05/29
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Mauna Kea Summit Sunset & Stargazing Tour with Dinner - Hawaii Forest & Trail

Sunset and Stargazing at Mauna Kea

Reviewed by: JJ & Kathy, 2017/06/13

This tour was the highlight of our activities on the big island.

Rating:
Attended as: Couples
Activity Date: 2017/05/18
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