(All Reviews) Page 2) Stargazing Tours (Outdoor Adventures), Big Island tours & activities, fun things to do in Big Island

Twilight Volcano Tour with Stargazing, Black Sand Beach & Coffee Farm

Fun and Convenient Volcano Tour

Reviewed by: Katherine Y., 2023/01/12

This trip was such a convenient way to see Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. I think it can be a bit daunting when planning trips to the different islands for the first time especially considering location of places, terrain, the type of vehicle you may need, parking, and the length of the trip. So I would say this is a great way to get a taste for a bunch of different activities to do on the big island.

It will take about 13 hours to complete the whole trip and the temp will be warm during the day and cold at night so be prepared. Luckily the company does provide windbreakers and fleece jackets for the cooler temperatures. Our tour guide Aaron was great! He was very friendly and helpful. He is very knowledgeable about the history, environment, landscape, and so much more! Thanks so much for touring us around, Aaron. We appreciate it so much.

Rating:
Attended as:	Families
Activity Date:	2023/01/10
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Twilight Volcano Tour with Stargazing, Black Sand Beach & Coffee Farm

Amazingly jaw dropping views of the volcanic eruption with a very knowledgeable and patient guide

Reviewed by: Gitika, 2023/01/07

Todd was great, he went out of his way to make it a great experience for us. He set up his own telescope for the group to get a good look at the stars and moon. He was very knowledgeable and extremely patient. We were also lucky enough to catch the eruption making the trip really great

Rating:
Attended as:	Couples
Activity Date:	2023/01/06
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Mauna Kea Stargazing Tour & Summit Sunset Adventure

Outstanding Star Hazing!

Reviewed by: Jen & Dion, 2022/12/25

Travis was phenomenal. Knew so much about the island as well as space facts. Definitely worth the price and time.

Rating:
Attended as:	Couples
Activity Date:	2022/12/23
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Mauna Kea Evening Stargazing & Daytime Solar Viewing Tour with Dinner

Clouds and storms ruined it

Reviewed by: Fiona, 2022/12/20

We had hoped the weather would clear, but, unfortunately, despite our tour guide’s best efforts to find some clearing, we were beaten by the weather. Our guide, Hunter, was extremely knowledgeable and tried really hard to wait for some sign of being able to observe anything, but had to cancel with no luck. I can imagine it would have been spectacular to see and hear the wealth of information he would have been able to provide if we could have seen it.

The falls and lava tube were lovely. Too much cloud at the top though.

Rating:
Attended as:	Families
Activity Date:	2022/12/18
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Mauna Kea Stargazing Tour Experience with Free Professional Photos - Epic Tours

BEST STARGAZING TOUR!!! The professional photo with this great tour gives you awesome lasting memories!!

Reviewed by: Deborah , 2022/12/17

You 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!

Rating:
Attended as:	Couples
Activity Date:	2022/11/21
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Mauna Kea Stargazing Tour & Summit Sunset Adventure

Outstanding experience!

Reviewed by: GapC, 2022/11/29

Arthur gave us an incredible experience. With his knowledge of geology and astrology plus history of island we learned more than we expected. We felt we could not have asked for more in the planetarium and stargazing. The telescope was an exception experience. I will be recommending your company.

Rating:
Attended as:	Friends
Activity Date:	2022/11/25
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Mauna Kea Stargazing Tour & Summit Sunset Adventure

Easily the best tour guided experience we've ever done!

Reviewed by: Samantha Creamer, 2022/11/21

This tour was AMAZING from start to end. Yes this is a pricer tour to book; however, you truly get a ton for your money. This is a long event; we got picked up at 2pm and back around 10pm. The pickup location was very convenient right in Kona Town. You are provided a solid dinner, dessert, and hot beverages while stargazing. You get to sit back and relax during the drive and enjoy the wealth of knowledge from the tour guide. Speaking of, our tour guide Art was absolutely outstanding! He was knowledgeable, approachable, and entertaining. Also the star-gazing area is private to tours and had a high level telescope for easy viewing. We were fortunate enough to see a really big shooting star during our viewing. We were also provided super warm parkas which was great because it is quite chilly at the summit. I could go on and on about this tour but I would 100% book this again and personally recommend this specific tour to family and friends.

P.S. Did we say how amazing Art was?!

Rating:
Attended as:	Couples
Activity Date:	2022/11/12
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Mauna Kea Stargazing Tour & Summit Sunset Adventure

My wife and I summit in Hawaii

Reviewed by: Greg, 2022/11/19

The tour was everything we hoped for. Fernando was a fantastic guide, knowledgeable about Hawaiian history, religious significance of Mauna Kea and stargazing.

Rating:
Attended as:	Couples
Activity Date:	2022/10/30
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Mauna Kea Stargazing Tour & Summit Sunset Adventure

Well worth it

Reviewed by: Paul, 2022/11/15

Well worth the money since getting up to the site is nearly impossible logistically for a rental car. More importantly, our guide, Gage, was so exceptionally knowledgeable on everything from astronomy to Hawaii geography.

Rating:
Attended as:	Friends
Activity Date:	2022/11/13
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Mauna Kea Stargazing Tour & Summit Sunset Adventure

Book with other tour group

Reviewed by: Hilohannah, 2022/11/03

Have done this tour 5 years ago with a different vendor. Was much better with other tour group but did not recall who it was when I booked this trip. Things I did not like about this tour:
1. Was not notified I could have been picked up in Kona. So we drove over an hour when we did not have to. Another couple drove all the way to the visitor center for the same reason 2. Dinner was marginal at best. 3. Star viewing from the visitor center parking lot?? Are you kidding me? Why? Light pollution, less clear skies..what a joke. I lay that blame on the tour guide, Maka. 4. Guide is not passionate about astronomy but he can be a good guide at times. Sadly, as the night wore on so did his personality. 5. Gloves were only proffered when a man complained. Hand them out with the coats.

Bottom line: do the tour but with a different group.

Rating:
Attended as:	Couples
Activity Date:	2022/11/01
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Mauna Kea Stargazing Tour Experience with Free Professional Photos - Epic Tours

Oh my Heavens!

Reviewed by: Greg , 2022/10/23

This 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!

Rating:
Attended as:	Couples
Activity Date:	2022/09/28
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Twilight Volcano Tour with Stargazing, Black Sand Beach & Coffee Farm

Jammed Packed with Goodness

Reviewed by: Saunders 2022, 2022/09/30

This tour was jammed packed with fantastic activities and good information. Todd was our guide, and he was filled with lots of good information on the area and language. He is definitely the one you want around for star gazing as he has a formal education in astronomy. One word of caution--bring warm clothes and jacket! You are going to a higher elevation with trade winds, and it gets cold!! (even on the van)

Rating:
Attended as:	Couples
Activity Date:	2022/09/28
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Big Island High Country Adventure - Mauna Loa Volcano & Stargazing Private Tour

One Incredible Night!

Reviewed by: Cindy W, 2022/09/18

One of the most fun nights! Shawn was an awesome host. We laughed, hung out in lava tubes and enjoyed the stars! So fun that it was just us... not a big group. We created a memory that we will have for a life time!

Lava Tubes
Family
Sunset
The Milky Way

Comments from activity operators

Aloha Cindy and Family, mahalo for the review and the kind words! I am very glad that you all had such a great time! I too enjoyed taking you all on our adventure and still get a big smile thinking about the laughs we had. Thanks again and looking forward to our next adventure together! A hui hou, Shawn

Rating:
Attended as:	Families
Activity Date:	2022/08/23
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Mauna Kea Stargazing Tour & Summit Sunset Adventure

Amazing Experience

Reviewed by: Merritt Hillman, 2022/08/27

My wife and I did this tour on our honeymoon. We come from the Midwest US and have not ever really been able to see many stars hence our booking this trip. The pickup location was convenient, the tour guide friendly and informative, and the experience overall was enjoyable. Would recommend to anyone going to try and book this tour as it was fun and definitely worth it.

Rating:
Attended as:	Couples
Activity Date:	2022/08/05
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Twilight Volcano Tour with Stargazing, Black Sand Beach & Coffee Farm

Amazing and so much fun!

Reviewed by: BRob, 2022/08/15

This tour was truly an amazing experience. We had the best guides, Mesha? and Todd. They are very knowledgeable and made the tour so much fun. We enjoyed all of the activities that were included in the tour and the food was delicious. If you are considering adding this to your to-do-list, you will not be disappointed. I highly recommend this particular tour and company. I hope that you have as much fun as we did.....enjoy!

Rating:
Attended as:	Friends
Activity Date:	2022/08/10
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Mauna Kea Stargazing Tour & Summit Sunset Adventure

Memorable and breathtaking!

Reviewed by: A.Packard, 2022/08/08

My husband and I absolutely LOVED this excursion. Our tour guide was so incredibly kind and knowledgable. We loved learning about the history and culture surrounding the mountain during our ascent. The dinner provided was delicious. The sunset on the summit and the stargazing was other worldly. We will never forget it!

Rating:
Attended as:	Couples
Activity Date:	2022/07/07
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Mauna Kea Stargazing Tour & Summit Sunset Adventure

Really great experience

Reviewed by: Steph, 2022/07/24

Great knowledgeable guide, Fernando made the long drive up to the summit with a bunch of volcano facts and stories about the Hawaiian history. Absolutely breathtaking views at sunset in the summit. Followed by stargazing, we were told about and shown all the constellations, saw some shooting stars, the Milky Way and Saturn

Rating:
Attended as:	Couples
Activity Date:	2022/07/22
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Mauna Kea Evening Stargazing & Daytime Solar Viewing Tour with Dinner

Fantastic

Reviewed by: Michael, 2022/06/29

Marcus was a very knowledgeable astronomer and answered any question our group asked.

Rating:
Attended as:	Couples
Activity Date:	2022/06/27
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Mauna Kea Evening Stargazing & Daytime Solar Viewing Tour with Dinner

Stellar times

Reviewed by: Lal, 2022/06/29

This trip was so much more than I expected! We started with a quick tour of rainbow falls and boiling pots. our guide Marcus was exceptionally knowledgeable about the plant life and history of both places. We then explored the lava caves, which was an unforgettable experience. Finally, we got to watch a beautiful sunset, followed by stargazing. I can’t believe how much astronomy I learned in one night. The skies were spectacular and once again Marcus seemed to have an endless fund of knowledge, answering all our questions in detail. The trip was unforgettable and Marcus is clearly a great asset to his company!

Rating:
Attended as:	Families
Activity Date:	2022/06/27
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Twilight Volcano Tour with Stargazing, Black Sand Beach & Coffee Farm

Not What We Expected

Reviewed by: Travel Mama, 2022/06/27

Our tour guide Dreu started our 12 hours together by telling us to set our expectations low. It was scheduled to be a rainy day but this is not what anyone wants to hear at the start of a long day you’ve paid hundreds per person to enjoy. The tour made all the promised stops. The coffee farm was interesting and everyone in our group enjoyed the hot box lunch. The bakery stop was too short considering how busy it was but everyone did have time to purchase something. The time in Volcano National Park was mostly whiteout due to rain. You could not see much during the first 2 hours there but the lava tube was great. I would warn others it is a steep incline on slippery steps to view it. Dreu is full of information but he did not share in an organized way. Hid commentary was scattered and jumped around making it hard to follow. Dinner was at Lava Rock Cafe and was average. They seemed short staff so very slow to get served. Dreu did great job anticipating our needs for bathroom breaks and provided motion sickness chews, rain gear, snacks, and drinks. He was not mindful of those with back or neck problems when he drove fast over speed bumps on the park yelling “hold on in the back!” I feel bad for anyone in our group with these problems as the van bounced and jarred us around each time he did this. The best part of the trip was last hour in park when we were able to do the twilight volcano viewing to see the red lava glow. Due to clouds we did not get to do stargazing and tour ended an hour early. Overall everyone in group was disappointed with this tour because of how dependent it is on the weather. If you get a day with rain or clouds, you will feel cheated out of most of what you signed up to see.

Rating:
Attended as:	Families
Activity Date:	2022/06/25
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Mauna Kea Stargazing Tour & Summit Sunset Adventure

Gazing at Stars

Reviewed by: Moma Jen, 2022/06/06

We really enjoyed our adventure with Mauna Kea Stargazing Tour. Our guide, Maka, was excellent: entertaining, polite, knowledgeable, etc. He was extremely quick and calm when responding to a high altitude emergency when we reached our high altitudes. I was impressed with the Veltra company with their constant updates, emails reminders, and phone call reminder. I gave "Good" review because it was very cloudy and the star gazing was limited. I would book through this company again and I would do this tour again too.

Rating:
Attended as:	Couples
Activity Date:	2022/05/10
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Mauna Kea Summit Sunset & Stargazing Adventure with Picnic Dinner

More than just beautiful!

Reviewed by: Ryan R, 2022/06/04

This was our first trip to the Big Island, so of course we wanted to see the summit at Mauna Kea. Our tour guide was Justin- and he was tremendous. He met at pickup location a couple minutes early. He provided a clear outline of what the day would include- and he held to it very closely. On the way to our first stop, He provided a great narration of the volcanic and mythological history of the island. After dinner (and acclimating to elevation for a while) we headed further up the mountain- the safety discussion was very calming, but helpful. The view from the summit was SPECTACULAR. About 10-15 minutes before the actual sunset, sneak to the back side of the area up there, and the SHADOW of Mauna Kea on the clouds looks like another mountain. I am fairly well-travelled, and this was a first for me! After that, we went down to the Start gazing station, and got to see some really cool stuff. Justin's knowledge was superb, enough to engage with a couple college students in our group that studied Astronomy at school. Very impressive. Truly, a great way to see a unique and beautiful piece of the Big Island! Many thanks!

Rating:
Attended as:	Couples
Activity Date:	2022/06/02
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Mauna Kea Stargazing Tour Experience with Free Professional Photos - Epic Tours

Five stars for the Milky Way!

Reviewed by: Fonda, 2022/05/27

James 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.

Rating:
Attended as:	Couples
Activity Date:	2022/05/24
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Twilight Volcano Tour with Stargazing, Black Sand Beach & Coffee Farm

Aaron was the best!

Reviewed by: Chet and Marge, 2022/05/21

Could not have been a better tour! Star gazing was phenomenal! Thanks Aaron for a tour to remember! Chet and Marge Sarasota Florida

Rating:
Attended as:	Couples
Activity Date:	2022/05/19
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Mauna Kea Stargazing Tour & Summit Sunset Adventure

Amazing!

Reviewed by: Linda, 2022/04/27

This tour was magical. We highly recommend using Mauna Kea stargazing Tour and Sunset Adventure. The entire experience was incredible from start to finish. Our tour guide, Gage, was excellent, very knowledgable and had great energy. We learned all about Hawaii's history, landscape, and culture, this was much more than just watching an amazing sunset at the summit of Mauna Kea and stargazing. This tour should definitely make your list of things to do while visiting the Big Island!

Rating:
Attended as:	Families
Activity Date:	2022/04/25
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Mauna Kea Stargazing Tour Experience with Free Professional Photos - Epic Tours

James was amazing!

Reviewed by: Beth , 2022/04/24

We 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.

Rating:
Attended as:	Families with Young Children
Activity Date:	2022/03/31
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Twilight Volcano Tour with Stargazing, Black Sand Beach & Coffee Farm

Awesome!

Reviewed by: Oscareen, 2022/04/07

This trip was awesome! Beautiful scenery and lots of information from Dreu.
Dreu is a man of many hats, he’s hilarious and you have to hear it to believe the incredible lungs he has! (Have to join his tour to know what that means )

Many stops we made, random people would join us just to listen to Dreu. And they would remark how funny he is.

We had a coffee farm tour, saw many highlights of volcanoes National park, and did stargazing! It was amazing!

Rating:
Attended as:	Couples
Activity Date:	2022/03/30
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Twilight Volcano Tour with Stargazing, Black Sand Beach & Coffee Farm

Bucket List Tour

Reviewed by: Kecia, 2022/04/06

Best day ever! I've always wanted to go to a coffee farm and it was a delicious way to start the day. Driving around the island, stopping at the black sand beach and the bakery was super fun. By far the best part though was seeing the volcano at night and the stars. Highly recommend this trip. Our driver/guide was very knowledgeable and made a long day super fun.

Coffee Farm
Best Sweetbread!
Black Sand Beach
Volcano at night

Rating:
Attended as:	Families
Activity Date:	2021/10/19
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Twilight Volcano Tour with Stargazing, Black Sand Beach & Coffee Farm

Experience

Reviewed by: Barbara Fleischman, 2022/03/27

I really enjoyed the tour. Aaron was very pleasant explained what we were seeing and gave sufficient time to enjoy the site. The best for me was the black sand. Prior to this trip I had never heard of black sand or even that it existed. To sum up the tour, I would go again. It was worth the money I paid for it. There is nothing negative that I could find.

Rating:
Attended as:	Friends
Activity Date:	2022/03/01
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Mauna Kea Stargazing Tour & Summit Sunset Adventure

Excellent night. Excellent view.

Reviewed by: Sarah, 2022/03/23

This activity is a must do!
The day seemed like it might not be good. Rainy and windy. But once we were i. The tour bus, our guide Gauge, was informative about the island and the areas we were driving through. He assured us it would be a great night for a sunset and stargazing. Like the mountain heard him, she did not disappoint! The sunset was spectacular, with every picture trumped by the next. Is 40 pictures of a sunset too many? Haha.
And when we got to our stargazing spot, the diamonds in the sky sparkled and gave us a show.
Dress warmly so you can enjoy. They provide gloves, but maybe invest a little bit in some good ones.
A++

Rating:
Attended as:	Families
Activity Date:	2022/03/21
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Stargazing Tours (Outdoor Adventures), Big Island tours & activities, fun things to do in Big Island | HawaiiActivities.com

All Reviews for Stargazing Tours in Big Island

Overall Rating

Reviews

Fun and Convenient Volcano Tour

Amazingly jaw dropping views of the volcanic eruption with a very knowledgeable and patient guide

Outstanding Star Hazing!

Clouds and storms ruined it

BEST STARGAZING TOUR!!! The professional photo with this great tour gives you awesome lasting memories!!

Outstanding experience!

Easily the best tour guided experience we've ever done!

My wife and I summit in Hawaii

Well worth it

Book with other tour group

Oh my Heavens!

Jammed Packed with Goodness

One Incredible Night!

Amazing Experience

Amazing and so much fun!

Memorable and breathtaking!

Really great experience

Fantastic

Stellar times

Not What We Expected

Gazing at Stars

More than just beautiful!

Five stars for the Milky Way!

Aaron was the best!

Amazing!

James was amazing!

Awesome!

Bucket List Tour

Experience

Excellent night. Excellent view.

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