Mauna Kea Summit Adventures Sunset & Stargazing Guided Tour with Transportation
Overall Rating
4.83
A lifetime Experience!
Reviewed by: Daniel, 2014/12/07Whilst reading this activity when planning my vacation to Hawaii I knew that going to the summit and doing some stargazing would be something not to be missed. I'm glad it did not disappoint! The sunset atop Mauna Kea is amazing with only clouds below us, and we were able to view a great deal of objects in the night sky. It does definitely get chilly up there, and even though they supply Parkas and gloves be sure to wear some heavy pants and thick covered in shoes (lest your toes succumb to frostbite!) I have recommended this tour to friends whom I know will be going to Hawaii in the next few years.
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| Attended as: | Families |
| Activity Date: | 2014/11/11 |
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Had a good time
Reviewed by: Kathy, 2014/11/15Seeing the sun set at the top of mauna kea was a once in a lifetime adventure. However dInner wasn't that great - was handed the food to eat at the visitor center -no where to sit and eat and had to balance dinner plate on my lap. This was not what I expected. As well, food was not very good. No drink included. Astronomy lesson after sunset was interesting. Although overall the trip was ok I did not think it was worth the money.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2014/11/09 |
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Mauna Kea summit tour
Reviewed by: Phoenix family, 2014/11/09Excellent tour. We'll worth the money. More educational than expected. We would have liked to have more time to ask questions but the two guides did a fantastic job trying to see everyone was comfortable and amazed. We would book it again just because it was one of the highlights of our vacation. A job well done.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2014/10/28 |
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| Attended as: | Couples |
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LETS DO IT AGIAN
Reviewed by: Ara kahramanian, 2014/07/19The tour guides were ver knoweldgable, especaiily Chris. It was my childhood dream to see the Keck telescopes and it became a reality, The sunset view was amazing and the diamonds in the sky, aka the starts were even better. I saw satellites and shooting stars and the milkyway galaxy.
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| Attended as: | Solo Travelers |
| Activity Date: | 2014/07/17 |
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Stellar!
Reviewed by: Ultrasonics21, 2014/04/21It was a very educational tour with a breathtaking view. I just expected astronomy but the tour guide knew a great deal about volcanos, geology and island plant and animal life as well. The guide was awesome and I love taking tours with someone as trained and passionate about his work as this guy was. The food was so-so but it was hot and ready. The bus was cramped but it got us there and had big windows for great viewing. Once at the top, the observatories were incredible to look at as they opened up for evening viewing. The view of the sunset was also breathtaking, and not just from the lack of oxygen on top of the mountain. Once we headed back down for stargazing, our guides did a great job of pointing out astronomy as we used there 11 inch telescopes. Very great tour and highly recommended!
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2014/04/10 |
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Manua Kea Summit and Stargazing
Reviewed by: Neil Wright, 2014/04/16As a family with teenagers this trip catered to our needs. Our trip up the mountain was very good and our stop at the visitors centre for our meal gave us a chance to acclimatize before moving onto the summit. We made it to the summit and saw a wonderful sunset before moving onto some stargazing. Our artic jackets were more than handy and we arrived back in Kona by 11pm.
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| Attended as: | Families |
| Activity Date: | 2014/04/13 |
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Spectacular viewing!!
Reviewed by: George and Barbara, 2014/01/23We had a great guide Jim. His knowledge of Hawaiian history, plants and wildlife was great. When we were at the Summit with the large world telescope buildings and when we did the viewing of the stars he was excellent there as well.
Highly Recommend this tour.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2014/01/15 |
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Great Experience!
Reviewed by: William C, 2013/12/11The temperature was colder than I expected but the viewing was spectacular!
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| Attended as: | Solo Travelers |
| Activity Date: | 2013/11/15 |
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Mauna Kea
Reviewed by: Kathy, 2013/07/01It was a once in a lifetime experience. It's very cold up at the summit, but the sunset and stargazing were worth it. The only complaint I had was that the dinner (vegetable lasagna) was terrible.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2013/06/04 |
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Mauna Kea lived up to my expectatio
Reviewed by: Mr. Anonymous, 2013/01/31I expected this trip would be a magical chance to get to stand "on top of the world" and watch the sunset and see the stars. It was indeed spectacular. The stargazing portion was really geared towards people who are absolute astronomy beginners, so if youre an amateur astronomer you'll be a little disappointed that you don't get to see more. But the guides were great the whole time giving a great history of the Big Island ranging from botany to politics to Volcano development. Don't expect a very lively time, if you're there as an individual it's a quiet, lonely world up there. but would be great as an adventurous couple to see something totally out of the ordinary.
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| Attended as: | Friends |
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Hawaii Eco Tour - Mauna Kea Summit
Reviewed by: Mr. Anonymous, 2012/08/14We had a wonderful guide/driver. She really gave us a lot of information on the way up and at the site. It was nice to not drive or worry about packing warm weather gear. Well worth the money. And the meal was very good and filling.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
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Breathtaking
Reviewed by: Mr. Anonymous, 2012/07/01This was my husband's favorite excursion. Our guide was very knowledgeable. The views from the summit are breathtaking and well worth the effort.
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| Attended as: | Families with Young Children |
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Great Idea!
Reviewed by: Mr. Anonymous, 2011/12/22Loved the tour. The clouds dissipated in time for sunset and we had perfect timing for stargazing - got to actually see the Great Red Spot on Jupiter. The tour guide was knowledgeable and very personable. If I was going back to Hawaii, I would do this all over again. Highly recommended, as it is a once in a life time opportunity.
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| Attended as: | Friends |
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Do this!
Reviewed by: Kim&Geoff, 2011/09/04We were on our honeymoon, looking for something to do, this was so unique! Who would of thought we would be in a parka in Hawaii! Pick this company! There were many up there, but these guys did it best, so thankful we paid a bit more and got an awesome experience. Staff was wonderful, thank you!
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| Attended as: | Couples |
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mauna kea summit adventure
Reviewed by: Mr. Anonymous, 2011/08/23Wonderful experience! Felt a bit rushed with having our dinner. Not enough bath room breaks, especially after having a cup of coffee after star gazing and then having a two hour drive back to our hotels, made for a very uncomfortable ride home.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
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Fantastic Tour
Reviewed by: SAR, 2010/07/10Great transportation, very knowledgeable guides/drivers, wonderful "star gazing," well prepared food (too much for one person to eat at one meal!) with stainless steel table service, warm parkas and gloves provided. Recommend wearing jeans, sneakers and socks, and perhaps a light jacket to wear under the parka. Understand that it will be cold at these altitudes and be wary of altitude sickness if you are normally near sea level. Be well rested when you go and altitude shouldn't be a problem since a couple of rests (and restroom stops) as you ascend are provided. On the ride back after excellent stargazing and a hot drink and cookie, really nice and varied selections of music were played! I've never seen such wonderful sky views! Hope to come again and bring grandchildren!
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| Attended as: | Families |
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Mauna Kea Summit
Reviewed by: William, 2010/04/04I would not recommend this activity unless you've already done most everything else on this island. Everyone we talked to after getting back was dis-appointed. It sure isn't what I thought. First the transportation isn't very convenient. Getting to and from the pick up points should be improved. Next on the way up the mountain we stopped at a gift/visitor shop. Thats where we had a cardboard box dinner in the van. Someone else said bring a sandwich. I also recomend that. Going on up the hill. The observatories we only got to see from the outside, and was just told about them. We did watch a nice sunset at 13,780 feet of elevation. It was a nice view although I like the sunsets over the beach better. After the sun went down we left and went down to about 7000 feet elevation and they set up 11inch Celestron telescopes. Nice telescopes, i have a friend who has one. We saw several stars and clusters ect. Beautiful clear sky. Chitchen-Itza ruins in Mexico was just a clear a
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| Attended as: | Couples |
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Excellent Experience
Reviewed by: Sylvia, 2009/12/06The tour was excellent and the guide had a lot of passion for what he does, so it was kind of contagious. He told us a lot of interesting stories making the trip very entertain. Dinner was very good and they provide us with coats and globes which we really needed. Then we had a second stop to explain to us about the telescopes and what is being measured. Finally we arrived at the top. I must admit I got very sick, but the guide had warned us that it could happen and recommended to sit on the floor. That is exactly what I did. I didn’t like the feeling at all, but I saw the most beautiful sunset that I have ever seen so it was worth the bad 5 minutes feeling LOL but I wouldn’t recommend it to people with heart problems. After the breath taking view we went down and watch the starts through a telescope. The guide explained a lot of things I didn’t know. I am not very knowledgeable about astronomy but I really learned a lot and enjoy the time. I will definitely recommend it as a must see
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| Attended as: | Families with Young Children |
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Untitled
Reviewed by: Paul Kissell, 2009/08/27this was my second time and it was better than the first time, and I brought my family this time.
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| Attended as: | Families with Young Children |
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First Time to Mauna Kea
Reviewed by: Donna, 2009/08/07I took my 74 year old mother. We had a great time. The guides were extremely knowledgable and helpful. The food wasn't the best but that wasn't the focus of the trip. It was nice to have real metal silver ware to use while eating our of our box. I highly recommend this trip. My husband and his son will take it in two weeks.
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| Attended as: | Families with Young Children |
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Untitled
Reviewed by: Gina, 2009/01/27Awesome experience, you really feel like you are at the top of the world. Beautiful view and spectacular sunset.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
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Trip
Reviewed by: Mr. Anonymous, 2008/09/22Overall, this trip was fantastic, and you'll never see another sunset and night sky like it anywhere else. However, be wary of poor food (bring a sandwich) that is offered, and make sure your bus has air conditioning that works since it can be a long ride up the side of the mountain in 90+ heat.
Pros:
Great trip
Romantic
Educational
Cons:
No air conditioning in the van
Poor food
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| Attended as: | Couples |
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Absolutely Must Do
Reviewed by: SnowMan, 2008/06/14This is the most amazing / moving / breathtaking / spectacular tour I've ever taken in my life... Growing up in a city, I've never seen a night sky like that before... i thought i was seeing a cloud, but turned out to be the Milky Way... there were literally millions of stars in the sky... made me feel that we are a part of this vast galaxy...
the drive to Mauna Kea was fun... Pat, the guide, even stopped our vehicle to see the owl by the road... I even got to see the state bird, Nene, at the Onizuka Space Center...
Mauna Kea is such a spritual place, and I will never forget the sunset.. Oh, you have to take a tour to go up to the summit since you need a permit... it's not like Haleakala on Maui where everyone can go..
Do this tour if you are going to be in the Big Island... I recommend everyone to do this tour... Just amazing!!!
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| Attended as: | Friends |
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Wonderful
Reviewed by: Mary, 2008/06/11WE had a great time. Learned alot. Our guide Gordon was wonderful.Full of information, my husband thought he had studied this in college and he had not.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
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Amazing Experience and Views
Reviewed by: Karen, 2008/04/20the stargazing afterwards was fantastic
the guides were both fantastic
absolutely perfect!
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| Attended as: | Couples |
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Mauna Kea Summit Adventure
Reviewed by: Angela and Dan, 2008/04/07We booked this trip because Dan is very interested in astronomy. As we drove up to the summit we began to understand the magnificence of the view. The sunset was unbelievable and the experience unforgettable. When we came down the mountain to do our stargazing I saw the moon through the telescope as I have never seen it before. The detail of the craters was amazing. It was a beautiful evening and night. Thank you.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
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Scaling new heights
Reviewed by: Cain, 2008/02/26WOW! What a fun evening! We were reluctant to do this activity but it turned out be the most enjoyable of all of our adventures in Hawaii. You would never know you were in Hawaii atop this beautiful snow capped mountain. The sights are unbelievable and the sunset probably the best you will ever see. The staff was very knowledgeable and accommodating. This is a must do activity in Hawaii. You won稚 be disappointed.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
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Untitled
Reviewed by: Kyla Sawyer, 2007/07/25Absolutely amazing chance to view a sunset from the top of the world!
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| Attended as: | Friends |
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Untitled
Reviewed by: D.ALDRIDGE, 2007/07/10BEST NIGHTTIME ACTIVITY WE'VE EVER TAKEN PART IN !!!
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| Attended as: | Families with Young Children |
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