Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Courtyard by Marriott King Kamehameha's Kona Beach Hotel, 75-5660 Palani Rd, Kailua-Kona, HI 96740, USA
Travelers staying in Kailua Kona will meet the guide here.
Your guide will meet you at the benches closest to the hotel's parking lot entrance at the curbside.
**There may be additional meeting location stops along the way to Maunakea.**
Duration: 5 minutes
Stop At: Maunakea Visitor Information Station, Mauna Kea Access Rd, Hilo, Island of Hawaii, HI 96720
Enjoy a warm picnic dinner while you acclimate to a higher elevation and learn about Hawaiian star navigation before you head to the summit.
Duration: 45 minutes
Stop At: Mauna Kea Summit, Kailua-Kona, Island of Hawaii, HI
Enjoy a sunset from above the clouds while overlooking the Pacific Ocean atop Maunakea. After the sunset, travel to a more comfortable elevation and let our guides reveal the night sky with our 11" Celestron telescopes.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Maunakea Visitor Information Station, Mauna Kea Access Rd, Hilo, Island of Hawaii, HI 96720
Descend to a lower elevation after the sun sets and sip hot chocolate during a private star show with our 11” Celestron telescope.
View deep space objects with our Stellina digital telescope and share captured images of the Hawaiian night sky with your friends & family
Duration: 1 hour
See Availability.
1: Courtyard by Marriott King Kamehameha's Kona Beach Hotel, 75-5660 Palani Rd, Kailua-Kona, HI 96740, USA
2: Four Seasons Resort Hualalai, 72-100 Ka'upulehu Drive, Kailua-Kona, HI 96740, USA
3: Queens' Marketplace, 69-201 Waikōloa Beach Dr, Waikoloa Village, HI 96738, USA
4: Waikōloa Plaza, 68-1820 Waikoloa Rd, Waikoloa Village, HI 96738, USA
5: Onizuka Center for International Astronomy Astronomer's Mid-Level Facility, Mauna Kea Access Rd, Maunakea, HI 96822, USA
8 hours(approx.)
Returns to original departure point
Minimum age is 13 years
Due to the high altitude; this tour is not suitable for those with respiratory, heart or circulatory conditions, poor health, or pregnancy
Not wheelchair accessible
Scuba divers should be aware of altitude dangers
**IMPORTANT - Please note, guests meeting at the Courtyard by Marriott King Kamehameha Kona Beach Hotel must meet at least 15 MINUTES PRIOR to the tour's departure time.**
Guests are required to wear closed-toe walking shoes or hiking boots, long pants. We recommend bringing a light sweatshirt or jacket
Guests must bring their own water bottles. Tour operator will provide filtered water refills.
Please advise your parka size (small, medium, large, x-large or xx-large) and choice of meal at time of booking. If you do not indicate this at the time of booking, you will be required to call and advise them of this information directly.
There is minimal walking on this tour, the maximum being about 150 yards
Not recommended for travelers with back problems
Not recommended for pregnant travelers
No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Most travelers can participate
The access road to Mauna Kea is four-wheel drive only, so it can be bumpy. The custom off-road transit vans will get you to the top and back in safety and comfort. The transit vans can carry a maximum of 12 passengers
Snow is seasonal at Mauna Kea, with the heaviest snowfall occurring during the winter months
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 12 travelers
Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Posted By : Stormey_D
Jeff was amazing. Very knowledgeable. The dinner and dessert was also delicious. The stars were absolutely amazing. Jeff really made the trip memorable.
Rating :
Posted On : 2024-05-07
Posted By : Louis_S
The views at sunset from the summit of Mauna Kea were spectacular. The skies at lower elevation were mostly cloudy, so our stargazing later in the evening was limited, but our guide, John, provided so much information about the constellations and planets, how their locations shift with the seasons and latitude, illustrated with star charts and photos on an iPad, that we didn’t feel shortchanged.
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Posted On : 2024-05-05
Posted By : NorthStar09217269408
This tour was fantastic. Our guide Jon was so knowledgeable. He told us facts in detail about the observatories, solar systems, volcanos and wildlife. The entire experience was phenomenal. Thanks for creating everlasting memories.
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Posted On : 2024-05-03
Posted By : Ben_L
When knowledge and passion come together with a well run, absolutely unique experience , you have something special. This is what we experienced on this tour. Jeff, our guide, had incredible knowledge of both Hawai’i and astronomy. And the overall experience is something you cannot experience anywhere else in the world. Absolutely worth every $$.
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Posted On : 2024-04-24
Posted By : stephant920
It was a great and very lucky trip. We had perfect sunset, clear night sky and even comet: 12P/Pons-Brooks! And it was very impressive, when I watched the M42 Orion Nebula with naked eye through the 11 inch telescope. (I have had an 8 inch telescope before.)
But I had a bad plan beforehand: Because I had some experience in Astronomy and Photography. So I hoped to take some best photos of milky way in my whole life there. But I forgot two thing: 1. The time was not late enough to get a really dark sky. The “astronomical twilight” was still there ,when we were up there. 2. wrong season: The galactic center of the milky way is visible only in the early morning in April. But those were my faults. By the way, I still built up my camera on tripod and got some pictures. I love the one of the comet ,Jupiter and dark volcano. It was Jeff, who showed me the comet! (photo with Panasonic G9 and 20mm F1.7 cropped). Mahalo Jeff.
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Posted On : 2024-04-23
Posted By : suzannesY151VP
Just wow! I know this tour is very expensive but it is absolutely worth it! Jeff was a fantastic guide; he welcomed the whole group like we were old friends and was so knowledgeable about the island. The drive to the visitor center is pretty easy. Dinner was hot and tasty - even my very picky husband liked his. The drive from the visitor center to the summit gets really bumpy. Once you get to the top it’s an incredible view. You are above the clouds to watch the sunset. When the sun sets you head down a bit and that’s when the magic really starts. It only took Jeff a few minutes to set up his telescopes. He showed us several different things and told us all about the stars. My husband didn’t stop smiling the entire time - I’ve known him 15 years and I have never seen him smile this much. Would book again in a heartbeat!
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Posted On : 2024-04-21
Posted By : VCP78
Our guide, Jeff, was incredible! He shared so much information about the volcanoes, observatories, stars and the island. Unfortunately, it was overcast that night, so we didn't get to do the stargazing. Jeff shared photos from earlier that week and explained what we were seeing just as if we were looking through a telescope. The view from the summit was breathtaking and the clouds made for an incredible sunset. Even without the stargazing, it was still an amazing experience.
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Posted On : 2024-04-21
Posted By : Don_H
Jason is the real star on Mauna Kea …! As tour guide he has a keen wit and voluminous knowledge of Native culture and heritage as applied to astronomy.
He is generous and well spoken, a leader with a heart of gold.
So sad couldn’t get to the top… High wind is out of control so I will just have to come back…!!!
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Posted On : 2024-04-20
Posted By : Paul_R
Jeff our guide from moment one was amazing his knowledge about the islands etc was fantastic kept checking on everyone in the small group to see if ok due to altitude sickness effects. Views were fantastic and sunset was out of this world at 14000ft. Then stargazing was incredible pointed out stars and constellations to us in the dark sky. Would highly recommend using Hawaii Forest & Trail
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Posted On : 2024-04-19
Posted By : joeymG3317PE
This was a must see once in a lifetime experience. Our guide Jeff was funny and so knowledgeable. He had the best telescopes and we were able to see Jupiter, galaxies, the moon and even the southern cross. Loved it!
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Posted On : 2024-04-18
