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

Otherworldly!

Reviewed by: C. Foerg

An amazing experience watching the sun set into the clouds at the summit of Mauna Kea, breath taking. Followed up with an evening of incredible stargazing, to hard to explain the beauty of it. James was an excellent tour guide diving into Hawaiian history, culture, and his knowledge of the observatories, their work and the constellations that we could see during our star gazing experience made the evening even better.

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

perfect experience

Reviewed by: Song Z

We enjoyed a perfect sunset and stargazing was cold, but worth it. The tour guide and driver were very good, professional and enthusiastic.

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Kona Manta Ray Night Snorkel Tour - Small-Group Adventure from Keauhou Bay

Mesmerizing experience

Reviewed by: Shenyi & Yan

It doesn't take much time for the Manta rays to show up, swimming with these giant peaceful fish is amazing experience.

We have limited snorkeling experience so it is tiring to float 45 minutes. We are exhausted when returning to the boat. It worths the experience.

Tip: Bring hot drink and chocolate bar with you!

The crew are willing to help with sea sickness and exhaustion, but they only have bottled water. The nearest place to get any replenish is Longs Drugs which requires several minutes of driving.

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

Acceptable experience

Reviewed by: Shenyi & Yan

The good: Black Sand Beach and Volcanoes National Park are as good as they can be. Halema'uma'u Crater is amazing.

The average: The Coffee Farm we visited is a small one. We saw the coffee plants, but didn't see much about how the coffee is produced as the machines are taken apart and stored. Food is ok-ish, lunch is fast-food bento, dinner is at a small restaurant.

The unfortunate: We didn't see any star due to the cloudy weather. If you want to do stargazing, join a stargazing group as they will have better planning and equipment.

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Sea Paradise 3-Hour Afternoon Kealakekua Bay & Captain Cook Snorkel Tour

Great trip- wonderful boat and crew

Reviewed by: Cali Girl

Wonderful boat & crew- with full bar & fruit. The location was pristine. The snorkelling was great- they have all the equipment. Very safe for kids. Fantastic afternoon.

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ハワイ島 ケアラケクア湾　シュノーケリングツアー ＜英語ガイド／食事付き＞

The transparency is somewhat lacking. 透明度が今ひとつ

Reviewed by: ツナミエバキュエーター

It was disappointing that the visibility at the location wasn't great despite taking an hour to get there. However, it was nice to see a manta ray swimming from the boat when we returned! ♪

1時間かけて行ったのに、その場所での透明度が今ひとつだったのが残念でした。ただ戻ってきた時、マンタが泳いでいるのを船の上から見ることができたのは良かったです♪

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Grand Circle Island Tour - Volcano, Black Sand Beach, Waipio Valley & Waterfalls

Love the BI

Reviewed by: Kara

So many gorgeous stops along this tour, and the guides are so funny and make a long day seem like a breeze.

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Kona Manta Ray Night Snorkel Tour - Small-Group Adventure from Keauhou Bay

Disorganized Disaster--But we did see Manta Rays

Reviewed by: Julie

The two star review is because we did get to see Manta Rays, and they were amazing. But the company itself only deserves one star. They were a disorganized mess from start to finish and it seemed like they had never led a tour before. We showed up to the storefront on time, but they spent so much time with a family with lots of kids (making changes, asking questions, listening to their complaints, etc.) that by the time they checked us in we were rushing to make it to the boat on time. We had to park far away and were running to get to the dock. We didn't realize we didn't need to rush because the people at the dock had no idea what was going on. They couldn't organize people into groups, they counted over and over, hoping people were coming out of the bathroom, and we had to tell them that a group of three had canceled at the storefront at the last minute and wouldn't be showing up. The leader of our group seemed like she had never lead a tour before. They got us out to the viewing area with no issues, but once we arrived there was much yelling among the guides about how to turn on the light boards, how to hook them together, how to swim and pull them together, etc. The tour as advertised said everyone needed to know how to swim, but they let quite a few little children come on the tour. All of the kids were freaked out in the dark water and there was a lot of crying and screaming. Then fire worms (stinging sea centipedes that usually live at the bottom but come out to reproduce around the full moon) appeared. That was obviously not the fault of the tour guides, but we kept asking what the creatures were and our guide said she had no idea, but no need to worry (even though she's a marine biologist). Eventually mass panic ensued as people were being stung by the fire worms, so they loaded us on the boats early and took us back. My husband swam and pulled all the light boards back to the boat because the tour guides were so confused/disorganized.

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

Einzigartiges Erlebnis

Reviewed by: Mieli

Viel Zeit auf dem Gipfrl vor Sonnenuntergang, um alles anzuschauen, toller Sternenhimmel mit Erklärungen, sehr gute Organisation , super Guide, James

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Kailua-Kona Sunset Cocktail with Free Drinks - Honi Olani Catamaran

Nothing Short of Phenomenal

Reviewed by: Derek

Crew was fantastic and so were the drinks. The vessel is very spacious and comfortable! Came aboard as part of my Bachelor party and it was an unforgettable and super fun time!

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ハワイ島 ケアラケクア湾シュノーケリングツアー　滑り台や飛び込み台完備の船で行く！＜午前・午後／英語ガイド／食事付＞by フェアウィンド号

They provided courteous service. 丁寧に対応してくださいました

Reviewed by: yuki

I was worried because I hadn't received a confirmation email for the tour (I contacted VELTRA and they followed up for me).

However, on the day of the tour, I was about 20 minutes late for the meeting time, but they kindly said, "It's okay!" and allowed me to join (I did call ahead). After boarding the boat, they provided a briefing on the sizes of the snorkeling equipment and how to use the camera correctly. They also prepared Japanese instructions, so even though my conversational skills are very basic, I felt comfortable participating.

The waves felt a bit high, but they designated a snorkeling area, and during the snorkeling, staff members were patrolling on a paddleboard, which showed they were very attentive to safety. It seemed like the tour was fully booked, but there were plenty of floatation devices and life jackets available. Although I could see to the bottom, there weren't many fish, likely due to the high waves, but we still had a great time as a family!

Since it was a large boat, I didn't experience seasickness, and the cruising to and from was enjoyable. I felt from our conversation that they have a great respect and consideration for the ocean. After getting wet, the cruising felt cold, so I think it would be good to have a separate towel that doesn't get wet. I found the free water a bit difficult to drink. Also, since there were no warm drinks available, if you're worried about getting cold, it's better to bring your own.

The staff were kind, and they were accommodating even with my limited English skills. It was fun!

ツアーまでは、予約確定のメールが来ていなかったりで心配でした（ベルトラさんに問い合わせして、フォローいただきました）。

が、ツアー当日、集合時間から20分ほど遅れてしまったのですが、『大丈夫よ！』と言ってくださり心よく参加させてくださいました（事前に電話はいれました）。
船に乗った後は、シュノーケルの物のサイズや、正しい動画の使い方をレクチャーしてくれます。日本語の案内も用意してくれるので、すごく簡単な会話しかできない私でも安心して参加できました。

波は少し高いように感じましたが、シュノーケルエリアも指定してくださり、シュノーケリング中も職員の方がサップに乗って巡回されていたりして、安全にはすごく気を配っているのが伝わりました。
ツアーは満席だったように思いますが、浮き輪や救命胴衣も十分に用意されてました。
波が高かったからか、底まで見渡せたもののお魚はそんなに多くみられませんでしたが、それでも充分家族で楽しめました！

大きなボートだったので、船酔いもなく、行き帰りのクルージング楽しかったです。
海への敬意や配慮もすごくされているのだとお話しから感じました。
濡れた後のクルージングは寒く感じるので、羽織るタオルは濡れてしまうのと別にあると良いと思いました。
フリーで用意されているお水が少し飲みにくいと感じました。あと、温かい飲み物はないので、冷えてしまうことが心配なら自分で用意して行った方がいいと思います。

スタッフの方も親切ですし、拙い英語力でも対応してくださいます。楽しかったです！

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

Great memories were made!

Reviewed by: TL

Tour guide was informative. Ride was comfortable. BLT bacon was really good. Veggie burger was more filling than the BLT. Stargazing was minimal due to full moon but fun. Best not to go during around full moon time. Download a star app like Night Sky to help enhance the experience. Dress for cold wind. You are going to want to take a lot of pictures so if if your hands get cold easily, bring mitts!

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Big Island Lei Greeting Service at Kona Airport - Hawaiian Floral Necklace

Sweet welcome

Reviewed by: Kay

We were greeted near baggage claim by a very friendly professional gentleman. Lovely!

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

Excellent Tour Guide, Some disappointment

Reviewed by: L&H

No doubt of the beauty of Hawaii and God’s Creation. Tour Guide (Francis) was excellent…knowledgeable, fun and caring (we had one participant having trouble with altitude so had to return to welcome center taking about 1 hour of the group’s time to go back and travel back up, however, care extended by Francis is to be commended).
Disappointed in that part of the tour was to look through a telescope (explicitly listed as part of the tour) but that did not happen. Vans were “dated” but did the job. Overpriced in our opinion of what the experience provided.

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Kona Manta Ray Night Snorkel Tour - Small-Group Adventure from Keauhou Bay

Night manta ray

Reviewed by: In your face manta experience

Really cool experience for the family. Adult kids of 23,21,18 really enjoyed it as well. Very friendly staff, manta rays got within inches of your face and even brushed up against you on occasion. Definitely an excursion that doesn’t take up a whole day or afternoon and you can squeeze in if your looking for something to do after dark

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

Terrific trip up the volcano!

Reviewed by: MC

We had a fantastic time on the nighttime stargazing and sunset tour with James! We learned so much and had a memorable night - the sandwiches, sunset and stars were top notch!

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ハワイ島 ケアラケクア湾シュノーケリングツアー　滑り台や飛び込み台完備の船で行く！＜午前・午後／英語ガイド／食事付＞by フェアウィンド号

It was excellent. 最高でした

Reviewed by: Ryu

I was able to see a lot of fish, and it was a wonderful experience. My son really remembers how delicious the chips we had on the boat were, to the point that he wanted seconds.

Just as we were returning to the port, there was a tsunami due to an earthquake in the Kamchatka Peninsula, which made us a bit anxious, but they safely returned us without any issues. I feel like I want to participate again.

魚もたくさん見られて、とても良い体験をせて頂きました。
息子は、船上で頂いたチップスが美味しくてお代わりしてしまうほどだったことがすごく記憶に残っているようです。

丁度港に帰る頃にカムチャッカ半島の地震の影響で津波が来たタイミングで、多少慌てましたが、問題なく送り返して頂きました。
また参加したいと感じています。

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Mauna Kea Evening Stargazing & Daytime Solar Viewing Tour with Dinner

Good guide but fell slightly short of expectations

Reviewed by: Mama Bear

I was disappointed with this tour for lack of hospitality, communication and false advertising. The tour guide is not an astronomer or someone who writes articles for astronomy mazagines or even a local Hawaiian. They are very knowledgeable, patient and friendly guides but also lack communication with the tour company. For instance, we had 10 people in our tour and they were told only 6 so he wasn’t prepared with enough hot chocolate or parkas. It may also be the reason he didn’t offer snacks or water to anyone and tried to get more people to drink coffee at 9 pm! I was also disappointed that we didn’t go to the Kona coffee farm as advertised in the itinerary and confirmed when they called. You also have to select your meal prior to arrival or seeing the options which is undesirable. Finally, when they called to confirm they told me not to bring anything - no water, jacket, hiking boots etc since all would be provided and tennis shoes were enough. First off, I came prepared with everything in my luggage but since they said not to bring a big bag or too many items we were underprepared. My son was freezing because the parkas are huge and they were passed out but left for people to get when they were freezing. Our tennis were covered in dirt and sand because we stopped at a beach and walked the sand. I would have to be informed in advance that we’re going to a beach and not the coffee farm and to have proper attire. The stargazing was nice and we saw a lot of stars and constellations but it was not pleasant because of the lack of preparation. I do not recommend this tour. If you book, don’t listen to their advice and come prepared with attire, water and snacks on top of the exorbitant price you pay. Or you could ask to go with the tour that matches the advertisement but I tried that already. Heed the warning. I didn’t and while we don’t regret it we regret the company.

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

Pictures don’t do justice!

Reviewed by: Johnsons

Such an amazing experience! Pictures don’t do justice of being up so high above the clouds. The sunset was gorgeous, the sandwich was good, the stars were incredible!

Shoyo was very kind and took great pictures!

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Big Island Lei Greeting Service at Kona Airport - Hawaiian Floral Necklace

Aloha!

Reviewed by: Jbay

Wonderful service, was greeted as described by baggage claim with a clearly marked sign. So friendly and personable, offered assistance for car rental shuttle and guidance around the island! Will definitely do this again. Mahalo!

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2-Hour Kona Kayak Snorkel & Dolphin Watch Tour at Keauhou Bay - Ocean Safari

Lovely morning kayak!

Reviewed by: Holly & Dan

We had a great morning kayak trip and Olivia was wonderful!! We loved her stories about the history of the area and learning more about Hawaii in general. Thanks especially for your breakfast tip on the Coffee Shack, what an awesome spot! It all made for a perfect morning, thank you Olivia!!

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Keauhou Bay Manta Ray Night Dive Tour & Snorkel Adventure from Kona - Sea Quest

Fascinating!

Reviewed by: Rebecca

We’ve been with family. Children 12 and 10 years old. All of us were so excited and totally happy with this experience!

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King Kayak Hawaii - Keauhou Bay Kayaking & Snorkeling Tour

Fun and family friendly ocean adventure!

Reviewed by: Jamie

We had an amazing time on the water kayaking, exploring caves, and snorkeling! Our guide Ryan was super helpful, patient, and very knowledgeable.

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Kona Sunset Dinner Cruise to Kealakekua Bay with Live Entertainment | Body Glove

Outstanding!

Reviewed by: Maria

This cruise was outstanding! The crew was polite and attentive. The dinner was excellent! There was live music as well as someone giving us a little history of the island in between songs. I would definitely recommend this to anyone. We also were lucky enough to see the spinner dolphins put on a little chauffeur for us. We saw flying fish. Overall, it was an excellent experience!

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スポーツフィッシングツアー　貸切または混載　釣り具レンタル付きで気軽に参加OK!＜4・6・8時間／ホノコハウ湾＞by Bite Me 3 Corporation

Nothing is biting. なんも釣れん

Reviewed by: う～りん

I can't catch even a mahi-mahi, let alone a marlin. Wouldn't it be better to move the boat closer to where the baitfish are? Am I watching too much of "Ooma's Tuna Fishing" on TV? (laughs)

カジキどころかシイラすら釣れん
もっとナブラしてる付近に船移動させたら釣れるんと違うの？
“おおまのマグロ漁”TV見過ぎかな(笑)

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Kona Manta Ray Night Snorkel Tour - Small-Group Adventure from Keauhou Bay

Incredible Doesn’t Capture It

Reviewed by: Mook10

This was by far the most memorable thing our family did on the Big Island, it’s got to be one of the most amazing things we’ve ever done together. Stop reading this review and go book your trip now. You won’t regret it.

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Mauna Kea Evening Stargazing & Daytime Solar Viewing Tour with Dinner

Magical stargazing tour!

Reviewed by: Steph

We are a family of 4 with 2 teenagers, we had a great time with our guide at the stargazing tour. Our highlights were the lava caves, watching the sunset as well as stargazing. The sky was unbelievable and we learned a ton with our very knowledgeable guide.

Highly recommend.

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Island Breeze Luau at King Kamehameha Kona Beach Hotel with Show, Dinner & Drinks Included

Mixed experience

Reviewed by: AJH

Pros: pig roast being done onsite, got to witness uncovering and presentation of the pig. (my son hated this portion!). menu and performances were both great! I liked different island nations being represented in music and dance and a little bit of story telling/history to tie it together. performance was good length and sunset was gorgeous! desserts and beverages were also delicious.

Cons: attempted to check in entire luau at one time slot. made for a lot of time waisted waiting in hotel lobby check in line. check in inside and then second check in outside felt redundant. we arrived at 5:22, email confirmation had suggested 5:30 check in, but spent several (20+ minutes) waiting to check in. by the time we arrived in luau area, we missed the 'activities' portion of the luau. we also missed the royal entrance of the luau show. we did however have great seats so first-come-first-seated wasn't an issue.

brief meet and greet with performers after the show felt rushed -- they were spread along exit sidewalk and available for a quick picture but were ushering us along immediately, without any chit chat -- which is a huge difference compared to other luaus.

professional photography of your party was an additional $25 for digital download. fresh lei's were an additional $10 each, which in my opinion were reasonably priced but I've had digital photography and leis included at other similarly-priced luaus.

having dined at this marriott the night before and spoken to several guests in the week it seems this particular marriott has become quite overpriced for the level of service and age of property it's become. it has an outstanding location, but is overpriced for the level of service or hospitality i've experienced at other similarly priced marriotts in the islands. pool and restaurants were crowded and bonvoy perks were lacking/zero. kids meals were reasonable, but got charged $10 each for kids scoop of vanilla icecream.

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Ocean Encounters Manta Ray Snorkel Tour - Sunset & Moonlight Cruise from Kona

A once in a lifetime experience. Captain and crew was fantastic.

Reviewed by: AJH

Captain and crew of Ocean Encounters 1 dove in ahead of guests, made a plan, and navigated us there. Honestly, we had a great viewing spot and several other boats' guests were eager to move into our spot upon our exiting. Boats are staggered and have a neighborly way of communicating where/when/how each group will be staggered but I would have been disappointed to be in one of the peripheral groups. These are wild animals, so no telling what each evening will look like, but was glad to have a captain who led the charge.

Tips: It is a bit of a rough ride for 20 mins out and approx 20 minutes back. If you are someone who suffers from carsickness or seasickness, highly recommend treating for that before you leave. We had 2 of 30 guests puking over the sides. I gave my carsick kiddo dramamine about an hour before-- no issues.

Do have inexperienced family members practice snorkeling ahead of tour so that they can spend the entire 45 minutes head down in the water enjoying the fish and rays and the learning is done in a pool or bay ahead of time. There were zero swimming skills necessary on this trip but knowing how to calmly enjoy breathing through a snorkel for an extended period was the difference between guests who really enjoyed and guests who didn't. There was a surfboard with handles that the group held on to, which was pulled into position by the guides.

Do warn your kiddos that these rays are HUGE. My youngest expected small 3-4 foot rays like we have in our aquarium and was initially very surprised (terrified) by the 12-15 wingspan on some of these beautiful creatures. They got right up in our personal bubble/faces/immediately underneath bellies and legs so do be ready for up-close amazing experience.

Do not bring a bunch of stuff/items as they end up dripped on and/or in the way. If the weather is warm all you need is shoes that are okay getting wet/dripped on, and a towel. They provided water and light packaged snacks on the return trip.

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Mauna Kea Summit Adventures Sunset & Stargazing Guided Tour with Transportation

Need to know basis

Reviewed by: DanMar

Just got back from our tour, but if you're questioning of splurging, take these into consideration: these are based on my experience tonight.

1) liking the convenience of a tour guide driving to the summit. But if the sunset view is what you’re after- you can drive to the summit yourself. Everyone follows the rule of leaving the observatory after sunset. Totally understandable. STUNNNNING views. Keep in mind it’s gravel paved and quite treacherous at night- but doable.

2) huge upset: if stargazing is what you’re after- like me. I was disappointed that they only show THREE views through telescope. Three. That’s it. First was a cluster of random stars. Second, after math of a super nova. Third was millions of stars what believed to be pulled in by a black hole. Amazing stuff, but that’s all you get. I was reading other previous reviews and they seem to enjoy more bang for their buck. The tour guide did go over the constellations using a laser and showed some stars in the sky without needing the telescope- but if you’re wanting to see planets, stars up close, we were limited to three.

3) food was okay- salty lasagna. Just save some few bucks and bring your own food.

4) bundle up-long sleeve and pants, close toe shoes is a must. It gets cold at night. They do offer parkas and gloves.


Would I want to do this again? Not after tonight. It was overpriced for what they offer.

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