(All Reviews) Page 6) Stargazing Tours (Outdoor Adventures), Big Island tours & activities, fun things to do in Big Island | HawaiiActivities.com

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All Reviews for Stargazing Tours in Big Island

Overall Rating

4.79 4.79 / 5

Reviews

321 reviews

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

Amazing night!

Reviewed by: Monica, 2021/07/12

This 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.

Rating:
Attended as: Families
Activity Date: 2021/07/10
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Mauna Kea Stargazing Tour & Summit Sunset Adventure

Amazing!

Reviewed by: Shalini Banerjee, 2021/07/08

This was the perfect ending to our Hawaii trip. It was awesome and the trip exceeded all our expectations. New even got to see Saturn and the entire thing was on time and perfect.

Rating:
Attended as: Friends
Activity Date: 2021/07/04
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Mauna Kea Summit Sunset & Stargazing Tour with Expert Nature Guide

Amazing experience

Reviewed by: Vipin, 2021/07/02

Stephen and Jin did a great job in explaining things, showing places and clicking pictures.

And the sandwich was amazing

Comments from activity operators

Aloha, Vipin

Thank you for participating in our tour. I am very happy that the weather was nice and everybody enjoyed the spectacular view from the summit of Mauna Kea.

Please join us on our tour next time again !! Stefan and Jin are waiting for you !

Mahalo,


Hawaiian Eyes Tours

Rating:
Attended as: Couples
Activity Date: 2021/06/30
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Mauna Kea Summit Sunset & Stargazing Tour with Expert Nature Guide

Mauna Kea Tour

Reviewed by: Anh, 2021/07/01

Our tour guide West is a really knowledgable fellow. He is very considerate and thoughtful. I highly recommend this tour to everyone.

Comments from activity operators

Aloha, Anh

Thank you for participating in our tour. I am very happy that the weather was nice and everybody enjoyed the spectacular view from the summit of Mauna Kea.

Please join us on Sunrise tour next time. Shotaro is doing Sunrise tour now !

Mahalo,

Hawaiian Eyes Tours

Rating:
Attended as: Couples
Activity Date: 2021/05/27
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Mauna Kea Summit Sunset & Stargazing Tour with Expert Nature Guide

Great experience!

Reviewed by: Michelle, 2021/06/30

The van was in great condition and the guide was amazing! defiantly would recommend this to anyone who wants to go up the Mauna Kea summit.

Comments from activity operators

Aloha, Michelle

Thank you for participating in our tour. I am very happy that the weather was nice and everybody enjoyed the spectacular view from the summit of Mauna Kea.

Please join us on our tour next time again !!

Mahalo,

Hawaiian Eyes Tours

Rating:
Attended as: Friends
Activity Date: 2021/06/16
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Mauna Kea Summit Sunset & Stargazing Tour with Expert Nature Guide

Once in a lifetime trip!

Reviewed by: Shalini, 2021/06/18

This tour was UNBELIEVABLE! Totally worth it. The sunset and star-gazing was out-of-this-world!

Comments from activity operators

Aloha, Shalimi

Thank you for participating in our tour. I am very happy that the weather was nice and everybody enjoyed the spectacular view from the summit of Mauna Kea.

Please join us on our tour next time again !!


Mahalo,

Hawaiian Eyes Tours

Rating:
Attended as: Solo Travelers
Activity Date: 2021/06/09
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Mauna Kea Stargazing Tour & Summit Sunset Adventure

Great way to see the sunset atop Mauna Kea and stargaze next to the welcome center!

Reviewed by: Nicole W, 2021/06/13

Gabe, our tour guide, was funny, patient and very knowledgeable! It’s a long drive there picking up all attendees and up the mountain. He did a great job sharing interesting facts and keeping us engaged throughout the tour! Plus he was a very safe driver given the rough terrain (4-wheel drive required to get to the top). At the very top Mauna Kea looks like Mars since no life can survive and was a surreal experience for this reason. Plus viewing the sunset over the clouds at the very top was breathtaking! Note we did not stargaze at the very top, since the altitude is too high and actually prohibits ideal stargazing because of prolonged altitude sickness and the fact it’s insanely cold after sundown (FYI it’s windy and cold up there, so wear layers - you’ll thank me!!). Instead we stargazed near the welcome center enjoying hot coco or hot coffee! We learned about the different constellations, etc. Overall it was a great tour and we’re glad to we did it!

Rating:
Attended as: Couples
Activity Date: 2021/05/19
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Mauna Kea Stargazing Tour Experience with Free Professional Photos - Epic Tours

Kids Loved It and Adults Too!

Reviewed by: Tom P., 2021/06/09

This 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!

Rating:
Attended as: Families
Activity Date: 2021/06/04
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Mauna Kea Summit Sunset & Stargazing Tour with Expert Nature Guide

Amazing Experience!

Reviewed by: Dani, 2021/06/04

I highly recommend this tour! They picked us up right by our hotel. The tour guide was very informative on the drive up the mountain. He also took a lot of really cool photos for us and airdropped them before the end of the night. The sunset view and stargazing can not be beat. We really wanted to go to the summit and Hawaiian Eyes made the whole experience very easy and fun. Would definitely do it again.

Comments from activity operators

Aloha, Dani.

Thank you for participating in our tour. I am very happy that the weather was nice and everybody enjoyed the spectacular view from the summit of Mauna Kea.

Please join us on our tour next time again !!

A hui hou !!

Hawaiian Eyes Tours

Rating:
Attended as: Couples
Activity Date: 2021/05/29
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Mauna Kea Stargazing Tour & Summit Sunset Adventure

Unique and wonderful experience!!

Reviewed by: Debbie, 2021/05/24

The Mauna Kea summit tour was a definite highlight of our trip to Hawaii. The ride up the mountain in the van was beautiful and rugged. Our guide was very thorough and attentive to the needs of the group. He was exceptionally knowledgeable of the history and cultural significance of this mountain. The view from the summit was amazing. The telescopes look like something out of Star wars. It is a most unique and unusual place. The star gazing was just phenomenal. We had a beautiful clear night with an awesome view of the moon from the telescope, as well as many other unique stars and constellations and night sky features. We were able to see the Southern Cross which I am told is very rare. On a negative note I was very unimpressed with the lasagna meal. Mine was not very hot, and the noodles were slightly dry and crusty on the bottom. However the hot chocolate and snack during the stargazing was a very nice touch. All in all the entire experience will stay with us forever. It is one of those things you will talk about for years to come.

Rating:
Attended as: Couples
Activity Date: 2021/05/17
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Mauna Kea Evening Stargazing & Daytime Solar Viewing Tour with Dinner

Amazing experience and knowledgable guide

Reviewed by: Wade, 2021/03/27

Our family had a ton of fun gazing at the stars. Our guide Krystal was amazing. Her background in astronomy provided a unique experience. She provided so much information about Hawaii, the importance of the stars for Hawaiian navagation, and any other science questions our family had.

  • Moon shot

Rating:
Attended as: Families with Young Children
Activity Date: 2021/03/25
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Mauna Kea Summit Sunset & Stargazing Adventure with Picnic Dinner

Totally worth it!

Reviewed by: JC1, 2021/03/13

Awesome experience. Our tour guide Justin was the best!!

Rating:
Attended as: Couples
Activity Date: 2021/02/19
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Mauna Kea Evening Stargazing & Daytime Solar Viewing Tour with Dinner

Mauna kea star gazing

Reviewed by: Carol, 2021/01/15

It was a unique experience. Rich, our tour guide was very informative. We learned a lot about the history of the island of Hawaii as he drove us to different must see locations like the cave, water falls, historic sites. We also learned about plants, volcanoes, fissures, and stars in a day! We saw nebula, galaxies, a couple of satellites, shooting stars and learned about so many other stars in our constellation! It was very educational! Really appreciated it a lot!

Rating:
Attended as: Families with Young Children
Activity Date: 2021/01/12
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Mauna Kea Stargazing Tour Experience with Free Professional Photos - Epic Tours

Highlight of our entire Hawaii Trip

Reviewed by: Adam, 2020/03/14

Our 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.

Rating:
Attended as: Couples
Activity Date: 2020/03/11
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Mauna Kea Stargazing Tour & Summit Sunset Adventure

Honeymoon Highlight!

Reviewed by: MsTravelGal, 2020/02/11

I wouldn't give this tour five stars...I give it as many stars as there are in the Mauna Kea sky! This tour was easily the highlight of our trip on the Big Island! We enjoyed every minute of it. The sunset was absolutely gorgeous, and to see it from such a high elevation was quite remarkable. I was glad that we had plenty of time before and after the sunset to walk around, take in the view, and get some good pictures.

The dinner was very good but if you don't like lasagna there's a microwave at VIS if you want to bring your own food.

The road to the summit is a bit bumpy, but that's to be expected since it's a volcano. So take motion sickness meds if you're prone to carsickness. And if you get cold easily, definitely bring layers! They provide parkas and gloves but you might also want to bring a hat or scarf and thick socks.

Throughout the tour, the guide provided a very entertaining and educational narrative. It's obvious that he's passionate about Mauna Kea and Hawaii. He's basically a walking encyclopedia of Hawaii and provided all kinds of interesting information about Mauna Kea's geology and history, and also talked about Hawaiian culture and why Mauna Kea is a sacred place. He also did an excellent job of guiding the stargazing and pointing out constellations, star clusters, and planets, most of which we got to see through a telescope. I think my favorite part of the stargazing was getting to see the Andromeda galaxy through the telescope.

If you're going to the Big Island, this tour is a must!

  • View from the Visitor Information Station, 9k feet elevation.

  • The snow capped summit

  • Some of the Mauna Kea telescopes

  • Watching the sunset from above the clouds was surreal

  • This picture is nothing compared to the real thing!

Rating:
Attended as: Couples
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Mauna Kea Stargazing Tour & Summit Sunset Adventure

Highlight of my Big Island trip. Must do!

Reviewed by: Michael, 2020/02/11

This Mauana Kea summit and stargazing tour was phenomenal. The first stop is at the visitor center around 9k feet elevation. Here you can look through a couple telescopes, walk through the museum, and you will be served your hot dinner (we had veggie lasagna and it was good). While you are here it is good to eat and drink alot of water so your body can acclimate to the higher altitudes ahead. Next stop is the summit up to almost 14k feet! The Vans they take up are heavy duty and they need to be because of the rocky road leading up the mountain. I would not reccomend taking a rental/personal vehicle up this mountain. The road is rocky, thin, and windy. The guides for this tour have been doing it for years and know the road well. On the way up the guides will give you some commentary about the mountain which is a cool little history lesson. At the top it is cold and the oxygen is thin, so be ready! They provide you with a winter coat and gloves but I recommend bringing your own hat. The views from the summit are outstanding. Watching the sun set from up there is really remarkable, and you can walk around to the 12 massive telescopes up there to take pictures. After the summit you will descend a couple thousand feet to the star gazing location. With no light pollution and at the high altitude it provides for the star gazing experience of a lifetime. I have never seen the sky lit up so brightly with constellations. The guides will break out a couple of heavy duty telescopes from the vans so you can get an even closer look. They will educate you about the constellations and give alot of really good information. Overall this is an impeccable tour and a must do if you are going to the Big Island!

Rating:
Attended as: Couples
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Mauna Kea Evening Stargazing & Daytime Solar Viewing Tour with Dinner

Unforgettable experience. Excellent services.

Reviewed by: Ping, 2020/01/20

Unforgettable experience. Amazing views. Excellent services.

Rating:
Attended as: Families with Young Children
Activity Date: 2019/12/27
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Mauna Kea Evening Stargazing & Daytime Solar Viewing Tour with Dinner

Great experience

Reviewed by: Guilietta Kim, 2020/01/01

It was very impressive that a tour guide has shared a lot of stories about cultures of Hawai'i during the entire tour program. The courses were absolutely nice. The view of a coffee farm was so beautiful and the dinner was much nicer than I expected. When it comes to stargazing tour, the tour guide moved the spot for better sightseeing and it was brilliant. Even though I am not a native speaker, I fully enjoyed this tour program and I highly recommend this one to everyone.

Rating:
Attended as: Solo Travelers
Activity Date: 2019/12/27
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Mauna Kea Stargazing Tour & Summit Sunset Adventure

Gratitude and respect! Blessed to have been able to experience sunset on Mauna Kea and the beauty of our night sky!

Reviewed by: Hoomaikaiana, 2020/01/01

This was truly a ‘bucket list’ experience.
Our guide Travis shared his encyclopedic knowledge of the mountain and the importance to the Hawai’ian people. The history of the observatories and their research potential was enlightening. Our other guide, Jim knew more about constellations and the night sky than many astronomers. His ability to discuss the constellations from both a euro-centric and Polynesian perspective was novel!

A truly magnificent (although really really cold) adventure.

The hooded jackets and gloves are great - but bring two layers for your both your lower body and upper body as well as warm socks/shoes.

Rating:
Attended as: Families
Activity Date: 2019/12/29
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Mauna Kea Summit Sunset & Stargazing Adventure with Picnic Dinner

Mauna Kea

Reviewed by: Andy P., 2019/11/09

Although the road to the summit was blocked by protesters Jeff made the trip most of the way up awesome! Very informative and personable! I’ve never seen so many stars in my life! I’ll remember this trip for the rest of my life.

Andy P.

Rating:
Attended as: Solo Travelers
Activity Date: 2019/10/16
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Mauna Kea Evening Stargazing & Daytime Solar Viewing Tour with Dinner

Making Astronomy Fun!

Reviewed by: Nicole , 2019/06/14

I decided on this tour/adventure package because it’s something that really interests me. From the coffee, to the excellent bbq picnic, the solar view of the sun setting, and of course the stars! Todd was our guide and he was so professional and was beyond knowledgeable in each area of the tour. He made everyone feel comfortable and was very engaging. I would HIGHLY recommend this to anyone wishing to do something that feels laid back, but covers a lot of ground.

Rating:
Attended as: Couples
Activity Date: 2019/06/11
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Mauna Kea Stargazing Tour & Summit Sunset Adventure

Mauna Kea Tour was the best highlight of my 10-day Hawaii vacation

Reviewed by: Vadim, 2019/06/07

The tour to Mauna Kea summit was majestic, and we have to thank our tour guide/driver for that. Besides holding an astronomy degree and being very knowledgeable in answering our questions, he kept us amused about the stars we were watching through a telescope. Great company, very comfortable vehicles, knowledgeable and entertaining tour guides, five star trip!

Rating:
Attended as: Couples
Activity Date: 2019/05/22
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Mauna Kea Stargazing Tour & Summit Sunset Adventure

Amazing

Reviewed by: H Harrington , 2019/06/05

We saw the north star in the same sky with the southern cross. Had never seen the southern cross before. That was worth the trip. The great professional authoritative guides, wonderful telescopes and celestial education were all icing on the cake.

Rating:
Attended as: Couples
Activity Date: 2019/06/01
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Mauna Kea Stargazing Tour Experience with Free Professional Photos - Epic Tours

Spectacular

Reviewed by: AJ89, 2019/05/28

Our 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.

Rating:
Attended as: Couples
Activity Date: 2019/05/25
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Mauna Kea Stargazing Tour & Summit Sunset Adventure

One of the best

Reviewed by: dolls, 2019/05/24

Guide was informative and friendly. On time performance and tour went well beyond what I thought was included in the days activities. Great to look at the stars through the telescope and have explanation of the skies (for a novice like me). Ride up and back to the summit of Mauna Kea was bumpy at times and a little daunting but not nearly as difficult as some made it out to be. Elevation did not bother me.

Rating:
Attended as: Couples
Activity Date: 2019/05/20
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Mauna Kea Stargazing Tour & Summit Sunset Adventure

A trip not to miss!

Reviewed by: Gordon, 2019/03/30

Our driver and tour guide was outstanding. We learned a great deal about volcanoes and stars.
There were so many highlights to this trip: excellent veggie lasagne, watched a beautiful sunset from above the clouds, and telescope star gazing. This was one of the highlights of our trip.

Rating:
Attended as: Families
Activity Date: 2019/03/19
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Mauna Kea Summit Sunset & Stargazing Adventure with Picnic Dinner

Could have been Outstanding

Reviewed by: George, 2019/03/03

First off The Two outstanding parts to this tour was Jeff; The Tour Guide and The Stars. Tour Guide Jeff, detailed intellect to the stars was fun and educational without being obnoxious. Felt very fortunate to have him as our guide. Even though the clouds didn’t corporate fully that evening the Sunset was astounding even at nine thousand foot elevation.
The Rudeness of One Local Park Ranger that evening was disappointing to witness by all in the group. He made a big deal to our Tour Guide to move the company van by honking his horn repeatedly when all he had to do was ask politely Not Nice. The other disappointment was The Gift Shop closing very early and while they were closing the gift shop personnel Didn’t allow access to the Restroom for the many guess that were present at the time. Gift shop took about 15 minutes to close up shop and during that time could’ve allowed access to Restrooms. Thank You Jeff !!! for saving our visit

Rating:
Attended as: Couples
Activity Date: 2019/02/28
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Mauna Kea Summit Sunset & Stargazing Adventure with Picnic Dinner

Out of this galaxy experience

Reviewed by: Gabe , 2019/03/03

First off, big thanks to Jeff for being an entertaining and super knowledgeable guide. Great customer service as well. They called us early on in the morning to let us know, to our dismay, that we wouldn’t be able to get up to the summit for our particular trip (due to many weather related circumstances that were out of their control). It was a huge bummer, but like I said, still 100% worth it to attend the abbreviated version of this excursion. I’m more of a street smarts kinda guy if you know what I mean, Jeff made everything so easy to understand and so interesting to everyone attending the trip. He was able to answer every single question we had. I swear the guys a living encyclopedia. Long story short there should be no hesitation on your part to take this once in a lifetime trip. Set aside the funds you need to experience this NO. MATTER. WHAT.

Rating:
Attended as: Couples
Activity Date: 2019/02/28
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Mauna Kea Stargazing Tour Experience with Free Professional Photos - Epic Tours

Fabulous time under the Stars!

Reviewed by: Travelooza, 2019/02/07

We 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.

Rating:
Attended as: Couples
Activity Date: 2019/01/26
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Twilight Volcano Tour with Stargazing, Black Sand Beach & Coffee Farm

Amazing Value!

Reviewed by: Atlanta Couple, 2019/02/04

Let me start off by saying I had a pretty low expectation for the meals when I saw they were included. The food was really great—chef made lunch and delicious beef ribs at dinner. I’m still dreaming about them. That alone provides so much value for the price.

Now, onto the tour—Keith was an amazing tour guide! He started off by learning and continually speaking to each of us individually by name. He had the greatest stories at AND between each tour stop. We really enjoyed the tour from start to finish and almost forgot how long of a day it was! And for the stargazing, we lucked out with a beautiful clear sky and Keith was knowledgeable about not only the stars we were seeing, but so much beyond that!

Rating:
Attended as: Couples
Activity Date: 2019/02/01
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