Page 5) Things to Do in Big Island in 2025 – Tours & Activities

Mauna Kea Summit Sunset & Stargazing Tour with Meal, Transportation & Guide

Nice trip but operational mistakes

It was nice and cold at the summit, but the provided clothes helped a lot. Guide was informative although not nice. The bus to the top is very old and has a poor seating arrangement of mostly rows of three, so couples will be separated. Additionally, if you are separated on the way up, the guide will specifically force you to be separated on the way down in order to preserve your initial seats.

I have an egg allergy and specifically requested egg free food, yet the sandwich I was provided had mayonnaise and I was left with no other options.

The summit was a nice tour but I would recommend a different company. The other buses we saw were much nicer.

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Rating:
Packages:	Standard Package
Attended as:	Couples
Posted on:	2022/11/24
Activity Date:	2022/11/21

Mauna Kea Summit Sunset & Stargazing Tour with Meal, Transportation & Guide

Worth it!

Reviewed by: Kara

Gorgeous stars holy goodness!!!! It is cold but they have some bundling clothes

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Rating:
Packages:	Standard Package
Attended as:	Friends
Posted on:	2022/11/22
Activity Date:	2022/11/10

Mauna Kea Summit Sunset & Stargazing Tour with Meal, Transportation & Guide

Thanfkul for this experience

Reviewed by: Kara

Awesome evening all guided, pick up and drop off back near the hotel, very awesome tour

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Rating:
Packages:	Standard Package
Attended as:	Couples
Posted on:	2022/11/21
Activity Date:	2022/11/12

Mauna Kea Summit Adventures Sunset & Stargazing Guided Tour with Transportation

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

Reviewed by: Samantha Creamer

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?!

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Rating:
Packages:	Mauna Kea Sunset & Stargazing Tour with Dinner
Attended as:	Couples
Posted on:	2022/11/21
Activity Date:	2022/11/12

Mauna Kea Summit Adventures Sunset & Stargazing Guided Tour with Transportation

My wife and I summit in Hawaii

Reviewed by: Greg

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

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Rating:
Packages:	Mauna Kea Sunset & Stargazing Tour with Dinner
Attended as:	Couples
Posted on:	2022/11/19
Activity Date:	2022/10/30

Mauna Kea Summit Adventures Sunset & Stargazing Guided Tour with Transportation

Well worth it

Reviewed by: Paul

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.

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Rating:
Packages:	Mauna Kea Sunset & Stargazing Tour with Dinner
Attended as:	Friends
Posted on:	2022/11/15
Activity Date:	2022/11/13

Mauna Kea Summit Sunset & Stargazing Tour with Meal, Transportation & Guide

Stefan Was Amazing

Reviewed by: Kara

Stefan waited after others had left, and got us the most amazing photos and memories. Thank you to Stefan for caring for the guests.

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Rating:
Packages:	Standard Package
Attended as:	Couples
Posted on:	2022/11/10
Activity Date:	2022/10/31

Mauna Kea Summit Sunset & Stargazing Tour with Meal, Transportation & Guide

Highly recommended!

Reviewed by: Laura Simmons

It was a fantastic tour! From the ease of meeting the guide at a local pick up point, the his knowledge of the islands, the geography, and of course the telescopes and sky, to the use of parkas, pants and gloves... it was a wonderful experience! We went on an almost full moon night so only the brightest of stars were visible, but we were still able to see Saturn and Jupiter through their telescopes. Dress warm... and have a great time!

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Rating:
Packages:	Standard Package
Attended as:	Couples
Posted on:	2022/11/08
Activity Date:	2022/11/06

Mauna Kea Summit Sunset & Stargazing Tour with Meal, Transportation & Guide

Great experience, highly recommend.

Reviewed by: Jocelyn

Stefan was a great guide and we loved how he made a concerted effort to make sure that we got some amazing photos with the sunset and stars.

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Rating:
Packages:	Standard Package
Attended as:	Couples
Posted on:	2022/11/07
Activity Date:	2022/10/31

Mauna Kea Summit Adventures Sunset & Stargazing Guided Tour with Transportation

Book with other tour group

Reviewed by: Hilohannah

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.

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Rating:
Packages:	Mauna Kea Sunset & Stargazing Tour with Dinner
Attended as:	Couples
Posted on:	2022/11/03
Activity Date:	2022/11/01

Mauna Kea Summit Sunset & Stargazing Tour with Meal, Transportation & Guide

beautiful clear night for magnificent sunset and breathtaking star gazing

Reviewed by: Sharon

Had a wonderful experience at the top of Mauna Kea watching the sunset, followed by star gazing at a private location.

Very accommodating, lots of pics taken for us and very informative about the dormant volcano as well as Hawaii and the observatories. Coats and mitts were available when the temp dropped with the sunset.

The choice was ours to make as to pics we wanted taken, where and when to have our dinner snack and what we wanted to see in the night sky.

A few improvements would be to have a more comfortable van. This van was not comfortable to ride in for the trip to the top and back. Additionally, the photography equipment and additional telescope equipment should be added and improved.

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Rating:
Packages:	Standard Package
Attended as:	Couples
Posted on:	2022/10/25
Activity Date:	2022/10/14

Mauna Kea Stargazing Tour Experience with Free Professional Photos - Epic Tours

Oh my Heavens!

Reviewed by: Greg

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!

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Rating:
Packages:	Stargazing Tour - Starting times between 07:00 PM - 11:30 PM
Attended as:	Couples
Posted on:	2022/10/23
Activity Date:	2022/09/28

Mauna Kea Summit Sunset & Stargazing Tour with Meal, Transportation & Guide

A stunning moment - a must have lifetime experience

Reviewed by: Faye

The guide is friendly and informative. He can speak fluent English and Japanese. He provided the needed equipment for the trip and took nice photos for us. We’ve had unique and amazing lifetime experience by standing on the top of the world (count elevation from the seabed) and watching the stunning sunset and moonrise. Unfortunately, the full moon was so bright and we couldn’t clearly see the Milky Way. Overall a must have one and I will recommend do it with a guide as first time as some unexpected situations could happen if you are not fully prepared.

Warning: some people might feel faint and uncomfortable or fall asleep due to elevation

Sunset
The shadow of the earth

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Rating:
Packages:	Standard Package
Attended as:	Couples
Posted on:	2022/10/01
Activity Date:	2022/09/09

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

Jammed Packed with Goodness

Reviewed by: Saunders 2022

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)

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Rating:
Packages:	Standard Tour
Attended as:	Couples
Posted on:	2022/09/30
Activity Date:	2022/09/28

Mauna Kea Summit Sunset & Stargazing Tour with Meal, Transportation & Guide

Would recommend this tour!

Reviewed by: Dan Ohio

Awesome tour! Stephan was amazing. Very knowledgeable about the island, Mauna Kea and the stars. We would definitely recommend. Everything was as advertised and even more!

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Rating:
Packages:	Standard Package
Attended as:	Couples
Posted on:	2022/09/22
Activity Date:	2022/09/20

Mauna Kea Summit Sunset & Stargazing Tour with Meal, Transportation & Guide

Amazing

Reviewed by: Ashley

Absolutely amazing, a once in a lifetime experience made easy through this tour group. Easy to accommodate our special pickup needs, kind and knowledgeable guide. It was a guided tour, but plenty of time to wander and explore on our own. The stars and cocoa were amazing and the photos were first class that we received!! Highly recommend!!!! This was my sister's favorite activity during our week long Hawaii stay!!

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Rating:
Packages:	Standard Package
Attended as:	Families
Posted on:	2022/08/31
Activity Date:	2022/08/26

Mauna Kea Summit Adventures Sunset & Stargazing Guided Tour with Transportation

Amazing Experience

Reviewed by: Merritt Hillman

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.

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Rating:
Packages:	Mauna Kea Sunset & Stargazing Tour with Dinner
Attended as:	Couples
Posted on:	2022/08/27
Activity Date:	2022/08/05

Mauna Kea Summit Sunset & Stargazing Tour with Meal, Transportation & Guide

Amazing. : very well organized, Nice spot, Nice pictures, stars gazzing was incredible. Thé guide was so awesome!

Reviewed by: Catherine

Super condition. Great guide very helpful to get thé good pictures spot and take also excellent pictures with vis dedicated caméra.
Tour well organized with amazing star gazzing.
Flexibility for thé pick up localisation

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Rating:
Packages:	Standard Package
Attended as:	Families
Posted on:	2022/08/22
Activity Date:	2022/08/17

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

Amazing and so much fun!

Reviewed by: BRob

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!

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Rating:
Packages:	Standard Tour
Attended as:	Friends
Posted on:	2022/08/15
Activity Date:	2022/08/10

Mauna Kea Summit Sunset & Stargazing Tour with Meal, Transportation & Guide

Incredible tour

Reviewed by: Rainer

We have been extremely lucky with the weather and our guide Stephan. He made a fantastic job and created a memorable event for us. THANK YOU!!!!
The stargazing was unbelievable. We have never seen so many stars in the sky and Stephan explained all of them - ok, most of them .

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Rating:
Packages:	Standard Package
Attended as:	Families
Posted on:	2022/08/13
Activity Date:	2022/07/21

Mauna Kea Summit Sunset & Stargazing Tour with Meal, Transportation & Guide

Enchanting Evening!!

Reviewed by: Neena Samant

What an evening!
The whole experience from booking to drop off at was seamless. The guide was very knowledgeable and enthusiastic to share his knowledge. He also gave an idea of the Big Island’s topography.
The main attraction is worth the money and the time you will spend. We went in a clear day and the sunset was spectacular. The guide gave a fantastic guided tour of the telescopes, the sky, the stars and the constellations.
He patiently took pictures of all the tourists and I’m immediately airdropped them.
In all a must do trip. Big shout out to the guide.

Lovely Sundays!

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Rating:
Packages:	Standard Package
Attended as:	Couples
Posted on:	2022/08/13
Activity Date:	2022/07/19

Mauna Kea Summit Sunset & Stargazing Tour with Meal, Transportation & Guide

Awe Inspiring

Reviewed by: Adam

This was a great trip, seeing the views from 13,000 feet, watching the sunset above the clouds, and the star gazing with a knowledgeable guide, all made for an awesome trip.

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Rating:
Packages:	Standard Package
Attended as:	Couples
Posted on:	2022/08/11
Activity Date:	2022/08/09

Mauna Kea Summit Adventures Sunset & Stargazing Guided Tour with Transportation

Memorable and breathtaking!

Reviewed by: A.Packard

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!

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Rating:
Packages:	Mauna Kea Sunset & Stargazing Tour with Dinner
Attended as:	Couples
Posted on:	2022/08/08
Activity Date:	2022/07/07

Mauna Kea Summit Sunset & Stargazing Tour with Meal, Transportation & Guide

Manua Kea and star gazing

Reviewed by: Chris Fischer

Wes and his partner did an awesome job. Wes was very professional and gave alot of information about the tour and the history of Hawaii. His partner is an amazing photographer. I would highly recommend this tour company

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Rating:
Packages:	Standard Package
Attended as:	Families
Posted on:	2022/07/26
Activity Date:	2022/07/24

Mauna Kea Summit Adventures Sunset & Stargazing Guided Tour with Transportation

Really great experience

Reviewed by: Steph

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

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Rating:
Packages:	Mauna Kea Sunset & Stargazing Tour with Dinner
Attended as:	Couples
Posted on:	2022/07/24
Activity Date:	2022/07/22

Mauna Kea Evening Stargazing & Daytime Solar Viewing Tour with Dinner

Fantastic

Reviewed by: Michael

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

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Rating:
Packages:	From Hilo - Rainbow Falls, Kaumana Caves, Solar Viewing & Stargazing with Dinner
Attended as:	Couples
Posted on:	2022/06/29
Activity Date:	2022/06/27

Mauna Kea Evening Stargazing & Daytime Solar Viewing Tour with Dinner

Stellar times

Reviewed by: Lal

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!

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Rating:
Packages:	From Hilo - Rainbow Falls, Kaumana Caves, Solar Viewing & Stargazing with Dinner
Attended as:	Families
Posted on:	2022/06/29
Activity Date:	2022/06/27

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

Not What We Expected

Reviewed by: Travel Mama

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.

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Rating:
Packages:	Standard Tour
Attended as:	Families
Posted on:	2022/06/27
Activity Date:	2022/06/25

Mauna Kea Summit Adventures Sunset & Stargazing Guided Tour with Transportation

Gazing at Stars

Reviewed by: Moma Jen

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.

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Rating:
Packages:	Mauna Kea Sunset & Stargazing Tour with Dinner
Attended as:	Couples
Posted on:	2022/06/06
Activity Date:	2022/05/10

Mauna Kea Summit Sunset & Stargazing Tour with Dinner - Hawaii Forest & Trail

More than just beautiful!

Reviewed by: Ryan R

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!

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Rating:
Packages:	Summit Sunset & Stargazing Adventure
Attended as:	Couples
Posted on:	2022/06/04
Activity Date:	2022/06/02

Things to Do in Big Island in 2025 – Tours & Activities | HawaiiActivities.com

All Reviews for Mauna Kea & Stargazing Tours in Big Island

Overall Rating

Reviews

Nice trip but operational mistakes

Worth it!

Thanfkul for this experience

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

My wife and I summit in Hawaii

Well worth it

Stefan Was Amazing

Highly recommended!

Great experience, highly recommend.

Book with other tour group

beautiful clear night for magnificent sunset and breathtaking star gazing

Oh my Heavens!

A stunning moment - a must have lifetime experience

Jammed Packed with Goodness

Would recommend this tour!

Amazing

Amazing Experience

Amazing. : very well organized, Nice spot, Nice pictures, stars gazzing was incredible. Thé guide was so awesome!

Amazing and so much fun!

Incredible tour

Enchanting Evening!!

Awe Inspiring

Memorable and breathtaking!

Manua Kea and star gazing

Really great experience

Fantastic

Stellar times

Not What We Expected

Gazing at Stars

More than just beautiful!

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