Maui
This was the main tour of my trip to Hawaii. However, I thought I had enough time and went to Paia, which caused me to miss the meeting time for the tour. Just when I was at a loss, I received a call from our guide, Yamapi, who was able to pick me up along the way. I'm so grateful!
The sunset and starry sky from the summit were more beautiful than I could have imagined. I was surprised to even see the Southern Cross. It was a wonderful experience, thanks to Yamapi for helping me and teaching me about the stars. Thank you very much!
今回のハワイ旅行のメインのツアーでした。
ところが、時間に余裕があると思いPaiaに行ったため、ツアーの集合時間に間に合わなくなってしまったのです。途方に暮れていたところ、ガイドのヤマピーさんから連絡があって途中で拾ってもらうことができました。感謝感謝です!
山頂からの夕日と星空は想像を超えた美しさでした。南十字星まで見えたのにはビックリです。
ヤマピーさんに助けていただいたり、、星の事をいろいろ教えてもらったり、すばらしい経験でした。ありがとうございました。
I was overwhelmed by the majestic landscapes of Maui, and my heart was captivated by the sparkling sea and beautiful nature. Above all, the guide explained the island's history and plants in clear English, which made me feel close to Maui. It was a day filled with continuous amazement. Thank you very much!
マウイ島の雄大な地形に圧倒され、輝く海と美しい自然に心を奪われました。
何より、ガイドさんが分かりやすい英語で島の歴史や植物の事などを丁寧に教えてくれたので、マウイ島を身近に感じることができました。
感激の連続の一日でした。ありがとうございました!
素晴らしいレビューをありがとうございます!!私たちは、あなたが私たちの島を気に入ってくれたことを知ってとても嬉しいです。マウイが世界的に有名な理由があります。それは本当に魔法のようで、探検するには素晴らしい場所です。あなたの幸運をお祈りします!
Thank you so much for your wonderful review!! We are so happy to learn that you loved our island. There is a reason Maui is world famous. It truly is a magical, and impressive place to explore. We wish you all the best!
We went to the top of Haleakala with Yoshi, and it was a wonderful experience. We felt safe which was great. I would recommend going with a tour if you're going to go stargazing because the drive down the mountain esp in the dark can be a little daunting....no guardrails between 7,000-10,000 ft, winding roads on side of cliff, with no/very little lights on the sides of the road.
The stars and the sunset were breathtaking!!! We were literally above the clouds. Everything was provided like hot tea, blankets, warm jackets, a telescope and a pair of stand-up binoculars.
Highlight of our trip. We really appreciated the thoughtfulness of our tour guide Yoshi - the donuts for everyone, opportunities for photo taking...Thank you Yoshi!!!
Must do in Maui best excursion ever.
The view was amazing. We were so well taken care of... the guide has been doing this for 20 years and HE made the experience. I would recommend this excursion. It was beyond what we expected!
The sunset through the clouds was what we were waiting to see on Maui! Was unreal!
Had an excellent experience - pickup from our location on the western side of Maui was easy and extremely convenient. The guide, Yoshi, is very friendly and knowledgeable about the island, and a very courteous travel leader. It's a long ride up the mountain, but there are plenty of spots to acclimate to the changes. It gets cold no matter the time of year, but the provided coat and warm drinks will help considerably! Still, safe to bring more warm gear like a hoodie.
The sunset and stargazing part of the tour are breathtaking. It's a truly one of a kind location and expeeience that I can't recommend enough to anyone curious about it.
Our entire family (ages 17 to 55) really enjoyed this tour. Yoshi was a great guide and made sure we enjoyed the experience by providing chairs, warm clothing, blankets, and hot drinks. He also took pictures and gave hints on taking great pictures. Haleakalā is a great experience and is truly another world. You go above the clouds at 10K feet, so you don’t need to worry about visibility, and the star gazing is amazing. Unique and great experience!
Michael (Mike) was our tour guide and created an exceptional experience for us. He was very welcoming and building rapport almost seemed second nature for him. He knew how to keep the audience engaged during the entire experience. The ride to pick up and start the event was just about the right length of time. I especially liked the fact that he could use a microphone while driving and that everyone in the vehicle could hear him. My family had our eyes opened on the lush landscape, history, and culture that Hawaii has to offer. Mike ensured that every angle was covered, and I honestly wish we could have strapped an audio recorder to him so we could capture all that he had to share. We all had ample time at the stops for swimming and pics. Mike was even nice enough to make an additional jump off the waterfall cliff with my go pro (I shared that video, feel free to use it) as I wasn’t brave enough to take that plunge. Our only constructive feedback on this event would be to tighten up the “meet up” process at the local shops. We were unsure where or how we needed to check in. Once we saw the white van arrive with the logo we understood.
Sammie was our pilot, and we were fortunate enough that it was just our family on the flight. She made us all feel extremely welcomed and took the time to learn our names, which made our flight that much better. We also all enjoyed the fact that our pilot was an instructor and a female (the world needs more female pilots) With a smaller group it’s easier to be more open and ask more questions about what you’re seeing. No one in our family has ever ridden on a helicopter, but we have all flown and it was awesome!! Planes can only maneuver so much, but helicopters give you a different look and feel of flying. Regardless of where you are sitting you get the opportunity to see all that nature has to offer firsthand. It’s also nice to know that everything was being videoed so you can spend more time looking and less time trying to capture it on your phone. She also was a wealth of knowledge around all things in Hawaii and offered recommendations on additional things for us to see.
Our tour guide was ready and waiting for us at the airport as we landed from the helicopter tour with Sammie. He was extremely welcoming and easily buildings one on one relationships with people. He had a very rich background of experiences which he easily incorporated into all aspects of the tour. From local language, culture, history, nature, driving habits of locals vs. tourists, and stops to get one of a kind eats (shave ice… not shaved ice) we experienced it all. My family was the only group, so we all got to spread out and experience that limo van. We had a beachside lunch overlooking black sand beach and got to experience local foods and stories of the area. We got time to visit the beach and got some great pics within a lava tube. The beach was a little busy, but we still found a spot. He also had a vast knowledge of everything we drove by and experienced. We were also surprised at how smooth the ride was. We had just done the Garden of the Gods a few days before.
Aloha Jessie,
We are so very happy that you all enjoyed your tour with us. I will be sure to let your pilot and guide know of your wonderful email.
Mahalo,
Carmela
Temptation Tours
Our Star Gazing tour with Yoshi was better then we even expected! His knowledge of the star field was appreciated and he fully explained the stops for altitude acclimation and conditions we could expect at the summit. He also stopped to pick up donuts to share before the sunset viewing.
We initially stopped near the fairly crowded observatory area for picture taking, but he then drove us to a more secluded spot where we were able to enjoy the sunset and nighttime views in almost total isolation.
Though we came prepared with hoodies and midweight jackets, gloves and hot coffee, Yoshi had hot water available for making green tea or other beverages, as well as any additional jackets and blankets if needed.
Yoshi set up a high powered binocular stand and a telescope for viewing several star clusters, and luckily we were also able to see the Southern Cross. Perhaps the best feature, though, was lying on our backs and just looking at the star filled sky, which was an almost transcendental experience.
We had previously driven up Mauna Kea years ago, and being able to relax and enjoy the view on the ascent, rather than having to concentrate on the road, especially on the way down after nightfall was well worth the cost.
Avoid the big Hotel tour groups and book with Maui Allstars for a more personalized trip and I am sure you will not regret it. Apologies that night photo did not have appropriate exposure setting to really display the stars.
마우이 할레이칼라는 해돋이로 유명하지만
석양과 별보기가 휠씬 아름답고 놀라워요.
세상 어느곳보다 숨막히는 노을과
하늘에 가득찬 수많은 별들을 보았습니다.
가이드 요시의 편안한 운전과 안내는 정말 값어치 있어요.
이투어 강추합니다
It was very cold. I was looking forward to breakfast at the Claw Lodge as mentioned somewhere, but unexpectedly, it was at the Maui Plantation...
とても寒かったです。朝食はクラロッヂとどこかに記載があったので、期待していましたが、まさかのマウイプランテーション・・・
Thank you for your patronage.
We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused by the outdated information on our tour page. Upon your feedback, we rechecked and discovered that, despite receiving a notification from the local operating company about a change in the breakfast venue in January 2024, this update was not reflected on the tour page.
We regret that we were unable to provide the service you expected, especially since you were looking forward to it. To prevent similar issues in the future, we have updated the information on the tour page.
Thank you very much for taking the time to provide your valuable feedback and suggestions.
We appreciate your understanding.
VELTRA
ご利用いただきありがとうございます。
この度はツアーページの記載情報が更新できておらず、ご迷惑をおかけして申し訳ございません。
ご指摘いただきあらためて確認しましたところ、現地催行会社より2024年1月に朝食会場の変更について共有があったにも関わらず、
ツアーページへの反映が漏れていたことが発覚いたしました。
せっかく楽しみにされていたにもかかわらず、ご期待に沿ったサービスを提供できませんでしたことお詫び申し上げます。
今後同様のご迷惑をおかけしないためにも、ツアーページの記載を更新させていただきました。
貴重なお時間を割いてのご指摘・ご意見、誠にありがとうございます。
何卒よろしくお願いします。
VELTRA
The sunrise at Haleakalā was a wonderful experience. The hour and a half leading up to the sunrise is extremely cold, but in exchange, you can enjoy the stars as if they are falling. What helped against the cold was my ski gloves. Even so, my fingertips were freezing. I definitely want to visit this place again.
ハレアカラのサンライズ、すばらしい体験でした。
日の出までの1時間半の間は、それはそれは寒いですが、代わりに降ってくるかのような星々も堪能できます。寒さ対策でよかったのは、スキー用のグローブ。それでも指先が凍えるくらいでしたが。
またぜひ、訪れたい場所です。
Yoshi is a wonderful passionate guide. I can not say enough about our sunset and stargazing experience. Yoshi not only loves what he does but shared that excitement with all of us on the tour. Our tour ended up just being our family of 5 (ages 73, 60, 31, 30 and 29). The knowledge and laughter Yoshi shared with us along with his special spot for viewing was absolutely amazing. He also shared donuts, hot tea/coffee, blankets, chairs and coats. This was welcomed as the temperature dips after the sun goes down (even for Buffalo, NY natives). The stargazing we did with his telescopes and the knowledge he shared of how to take some very interesting photos was wonderful. I would not only recommend this tour to all but will take it again if I find myself in Maui again.
Thank you Yoshi for such a memorable family experience.
We got to see so many fabulous Hana waterfalls from above, so gorgeously large and breathtaking! Lunch was an extreme bonus to this already amazing day
Yoshi gave an excellent stargazing tour and kept us entertained, warm, and fed on the way up and down the mountain! His insider knowledge was amazing, and so were the stars.
I couldn’t ask for more and really had a fantastic time. Yoshi was very accommodating, we are a family of 4 and the experience was shared with another 2 people. A relatively small group, and the transport was super comfy, water and donuts was provided, and we had multiple stops prior to reaching the peak to allow us to get used to the elevation. Toilets are clean and oh my the view! Yoshi has a passion in astronomy and we learnt a lot from him during star gazing. He also brought chairs, blankets, hot water and even jackets to make sure we are warm. It is absolutely mind blowing to see the amount of stars that lit up… and best bit ? You felt like you are the only ones in there, we had a relatively quiet spot and the craters are spectacular. Our children 11 and 8 coped well with the excursion. I would join again if I’m back in Maui. Thank you for making the trip so memorable.
Bjorn was knowledgeable, funny, well prepared and very patient. We had a very memorable day!!
Beautiful. Lifetime experience. Our guide was very knowledgeable.
Mahalo Nui!!! We are happy to hear you had a wonderful experience.
The summit is over 3,000 meters and above the clouds. Beautiful constellations are clearly visible. The ability to access the summit by car is also a major attraction.
山頂は3,000メール超で雲の上です。美しい星座がくっくりと見えます。山頂まで車でアクセスできるのも、大きな魅力てす。
We had an outstanding adventure with Des on this excursion! She was so knowledgeable about Maui and kept a close eye on all of us in case we were struggling. Everyone loved her!
The only thing I would stress is that you need to be in shape to do this hike. The altitude can be an issue as it was a lot harder to do these two hikes but the scenery is incredible!
With the enjoyable and lively talk from our veteran guide, Mr. Yamap, we drove to the summit. My friend had injured their leg and was using a cane, but it was absolutely no problem!
The sunset and starry sky were truly, truly beautiful! I was moved! I couldn't help but shed a tear while listening to Mr. Yamap's stories under the starry sky.
I would love to request him again when I visit Maui!
ベテランガイド山Pさんの楽しく軽快なトークで
山頂まで車で移動だったので
友人が足を怪我して杖をついていたのですが
全く問題なかったです!
夕日、星空共は本当に本当に綺麗で!
感動しました!
星空を見ながらの山Pさんのお話に思わず涙も!
また、マウイ島に行った際はお願いしたいです!
Wonderful experience of Haleakala mountain expedition includes watching beautiful sunset from a secret location away from the crowd followed by sky full of stars, using 2 different telescopes to see different constellations, stars, Jupiter and its moons, andromeda and our moon from close and in HD, as well taking variety of pictures using our phone.
The tour guide Yoshi is a passionate stargazing enthusiast and also a great photographer. He guided us through the crater for various photo locations and spots, and will took us to the secret spot away from the crowd to watch beautiful sunset and he also became our photographer and clicked perfect pictures on each spot, so we didn’t need to worry about taking selfies. He also showed us some tricks for clicking beautiful pictures of stars in the dark.
I highly recommend this Haleakala sunset and stargazing tour with Yoshi to everyone that loves stargazing and also interested in watching sunset from the top of Haleakala mountain above clouds at 10k+ elevation from sea level.
Yoshi picked us up from our hotel in West Maui in the afternoon and another couple who was visiting from Japan from their hotel, then we all picked some dinner from a nearby marketplace and started with our journey to Haleakala mountain top. Yoshi had also bought us donuts from Crispy Creme and also provided us with winter coats, blankets and hot tea to prevent from cold winds atop the mountain. Thanks Yoshi for this wonderful experience. Arigato and Mahalo!
It was perfect from the start.
Yoshi picked up Krispie Cream donuts for us. Taken up the mountain, stopped at different levels due to altitude adjustment.
Once there, chairs were put out, warm jackets given and sat down for Tea as we watched the sunset above the clouds. Beautiful rainbows everywhere.
Once it got dark, Yoshi took out a massive telescope. We were able to see Saturn and Jupiter very clearly and it was Amazing! then Yoshi pointed out the Milky Way and many constellations.
It was a long day but worth every dollar and second.
Please don't miss it.
This is absolutely the best tour we ever had! It was cloudy before we ascend the Mt. Haleakala, but the mountain peak was above the cloud and we could watch the beautiful sunset. We even saw the shade of the Earth on the right side of the horizon after the sunset. Gorgeous!
Then the guide set up two telescopes for stargazing. We were the only group at the overlook area a bit away from the peak, it was a beautiful starry night just like a natural planetarium.
He offered us a hot drink and doughnuts, that was nice. We had a great time looking constellations, Andromeda and other nebulae, Jupiter with its stripes and four satellites and so on, very educational. I recommend this tour for anyone.
The guide was super good and really informative. Truly suggest this to everyone
Yoshi is an amazing guide. His personality is everything. We had an amazing sunset and were able to see clearly Andromeda, Jupiter, and Saturn. One of the best experiences of our trip!!
It was my first time seeing a pineapple plant. It was a fun tour where I got to see cute baby pineapples and even do some tastings. On the way back, we each received a pineapple as a souvenir. It was very sweet and juicy. I might have seen a yellow pineapple for the first time!
初めて見るパイナップルプラント。可愛いベビーパイナップルが見れたら、試食もでき楽しいツアーでした。帰りに1人1つのパイナップルをお土産にもらいました。とても甘くてジューシー。黄色いパイナップルを初めてみたかも!
If you want to see the rings of Saturn and Jupiter and craters of the moon then this tour is a must! Yoshi had everything taken care of for us. He had warm jackets, gloves, blankets, chairs, and a GPS computerized telescope. He was pleasant, kind, and knowledgeable. He even bought us donuts and made us hot tea! This tour was AMAZING! In our group of 4, it was a unanimous vote for the best tour of our whole vacation. We all enjoyed the beautiful sunset from a private location. Then, Yoshi brought out his personal telescope and showed us some stars, planets and the moon up close and personal. We had never seen anything like it before. We gave this tour 5 stars.
First of all, the perfect starry planetarium. The journey to the summit of Haleakalā is too precious to waste on a nap in preparation for the sunrise and downhill! While the stories from the high-energy guide and driver are important, the night sky through the window is like a treasure chest turned upside down with stars, stars, and more stars, sometimes shooting stars! The Big Dipper, Cassiopeia, Orion! I was moved to see so many stars in Orion's belly!
Next, the sunrise. It cleanses the soul! Amidst the sea of clouds, the sunrise shines brilliantly, perfectly aligned. It was a moment of awe for everyone waiting for the sunrise. It's not exactly the North Wind and the Sun, but after enduring the extreme cold, both body and mind become warm. As for cold weather measures, make sure to avoid any skin exposure! I recommend complete protection with socks, leg warmers, gloves, and a mask, leaving only the area around your eyes exposed.
Finally, the downhill. It's like a roller coaster! Once it starts, it doesn't stop! It's a refreshing cycling experience. While enjoying the magnificent scenery, of course, safe driving goes without saying, but it feels like pedaling is unnecessary, and before you know it, you become the wind of Maui.
The reason I rated this four stars instead of five, despite all these comments, is as follows. The downhill truly feels like a roller coaster. It lasts only about 10 minutes, which goes by in an instant, and that's a bit disappointing. The cycling mentioned after lunch didn't happen, which left me wanting more. Although I repeated the same course twice this time, I wished for different attractions, like a roller coaster and a Viking-style ride, rather than two rides on the same roller coaster. I would have liked some cycling time through the town, even if it meant pedaling after lunch.
先ずは、満点の満天プラネタリウム。ハレアカラ山頂までの道程は、日の出&ダウンヒルに備え仮眠、なんてことはもったいない!ハイテンションのガイド兼ドライバーの話も大切ですが、窓越しの夜空は、宝石箱をひっくり返した星、星、星、時に流れ星!北斗七星、カシオペア、オリオン!オリオンのお腹にこんなに星があるの、と感動!
次に、御来光。心洗われます!雲海が漂うなか、燦々とSUNRISE、ベクトル一致でしょうね。日の出待ちのすべての人が待ちわびた御来光に感動してた瞬間です。北風と太陽じゃないけど、極寒に耐えた後、心身共にホットになります。で、極寒対策ですが、決して肌の露出をされないように!目の周り以外は、ソックス、レッグウォーマー、手袋、マスクと完全防備をオススメします。
最後に、ダウンヒル。私はジェットコースター♪走り出したら止まらないよ♪爽快なサイクリングです。壮大な景観を眺めながら、もちろん安全運転は言うまでもありませんが、ペダルは必要?って感じで、知らず知らずのうちにマウイの風になってます。
ここまでコメントして、星5つでなく、星4つにした理由は以下です。ダウンヒルが、まさしくジェットコースターなんです。僅か10分かな、あっという間なんでよね、ここが少し残念。説明にある昼食後のサイクリングも無かったのが物足りないです。今回、同じコースを2本繰り返したこともありますが、同じジェットコースター2回より、ジェットコースターとバイキング的な異なるアトラクションを望んでしまうので、昼食後のペダルを漕いでも良いので、街並みのサイクリングタイムが欲しかったですね~。