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Mauna Kea Summit & Observatory

Mauna Kea Summit & Observatory Tours

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Mauna Kea Summit and Stars Small-Group Adventure Tour

Badge of ExcellenceKailua-Kona, United States
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From $287.96

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Private and Luxury
  • 8 hours (approx.)
  • Mobile ticket
  • Offered in: English

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Overview

Experience big skies and incredible nighttime views on this Mauna Kea stargazing trip with a small group. Experience a warm pre-trip picnic, proceeded by a ride in a 4x4 luxury van to the summit of the Big Island's tallest peak. After admiring a sunset view, continue down to 9,000 feet (2,743 meters) for a stargazing session, complete with a telescope, hot chocolate, and dessert. The trip also includes a guide and a hooded parka to keep you warm.
  • Enjoy a private stargazing show through 11” Celestron telescopes on Mauna Kea
  • Learn about the history, culture, and ecology of Hawaii
  • Indulge in a warm picnic dinner.

What's Included

  • Guide
  • Hooded parkas and gloves
  • Hot picnic dinner
  • Hot cocoa and cookies
  • Private star show with telescope
  • Local taxes
  • Central Meeting Locations for Pick-up & Drop off
  • Gratuities

Meeting And Pickup

Meeting points

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End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Maunakea Visitor Information Station

45 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Mauna Kea Summit

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info

  • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
  • 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
  • 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 wheelchair accessible
  • Not recommended for travelers with back problems
  • Not recommended for pregnant travelers
  • No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
  • 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
  • Most travelers can participate
  • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 12 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

  • For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
  • If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
  • Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
  • Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
  • 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.

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Traveler Photos

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Featured review
Christine_T
We had a group of 6 adults on the tour and everyone had a wonderful time. Jeff (our tour guide) had fantastic knowledge of the Mauna Kea area as well as the island overall. Watching the clouds rolling through at sunset was magical and then heading down to another spot to stargaze was incredible. We saw more stars than we've ever seen in our lives, and we also got to see the glow of the Kilauea eruption in the distance. Jeff focused in on the lava flows with the telescope and it was so awesome. We also got to view the moon, Jupiter, Saturn and lots more through the telescope. We will never forget the experience, so thank you Jeff for doing such a great job in guiding us! I highly recommend this tour for anyone visiting the Big Island.

Reviews

5.0
1,024 reviews
Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews
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Reviews by Viator travelers.
Showing 1-10 of 1,024 reviews
Amazing tour
Danielle_P, Jun 2023
This was an amazing tour! Our guide, Jason, was super knowledgeable and made it a lot of fun! Everything was really well organized. The scenery was spectacular; definitely worth the trip.
Memorable!
Mara_D, Jun 2023
This experience was memorable from being 13,000 Ft on top of Mauna Kea, to star gazing and Jeff the most amazing guide! So knowledgeable, so kind! Great trip!
Stars aligned!
Amanda_A, Jun 2023
Jeff was an amazing guide. We learned so much from him and had a great time. The stars aligned to give us great weather and a fantastic view of not only the sunset but also the night sky. You can understand why Mauna Kea is sacred. It is almost a religious experience being there.
Best sunset, incredible stargazing—a MUST SEE!
Katie_F, Jun 2023
This tour was one of the most amazing experiences my husband and I have ever had. Our guide, Adam, was knowledgeable, a great host, and made this adventure even better. The drive up to Mauna Kea was eerie and beautiful with views that can’t be beat. But the sunset and views from the top can’t be captured by photos. I’ve never seen the colors in a sunset we saw up there—purple, green, etc. the stargazing was breathtaking and something I’ll never forget. I would highly recommend taking this tour—I think it’s safer and more fun than going on your own without the expensive telescope the tour provides.
An amazing experience!
Robert_B, May 2023
Our tour guide, Jason, was simply amazing. This excursion was easily my favorite. An incredible value and breathtaking experience. If you are on the Big Island make time for this. You won't regret it!
Jason was our guide and...
Leslie_S, May 2023
Jason was our guide and he was great! Very knowledgeable and friendly. The experience overall was amazing!
Breathtaking
Sherman_H, Apr 2023
This tour was unforgettable. The tour guide Jeff was very informative and had a good sense of humor. The views were breathtaking. Highly recommend this tour.
1 traveler found this review helpful
Exceeded all expectations!
Michael_B, Apr 2023
This was an extraordinary experience! Our tour guide, Jeff, was amazingly knowledgeable, engaging, extremely organized, clear, fun and funny! He had great attention to detail and for individual needs. He shared incredible insights and ideas, helping us all to appreciate the meaning and importance of the things we were seeing. Really safe driver, too! Dinner was also delicious, the snacks were great, and the choice of Hawaiian music on the drive back was fun and relaxing. The company was also very professional; called us two days ahead to remind us of the pickup time, etc. They instilled great confidence. I also enjoyed our fellow guests. Jeff got everybody to talk and share why they chose the trip, and it was a very fun group of interesting people from all over the world. Excellent value for the cost and the time was very well spent. I learned a lot from Jeff and also had a blast! I recommend this tour and guide with the highest possible level of enthusiasm and with no reservations whatsoever!
Skeptical at first due to cost, but turned out to be well worth it
Albert_Y, Apr 2023
Conditions were great. John, the tour guide was quite knowledgeable on most everything Hawaiian. The sunset view at the summit was spectacular. I was quite impressed that he was able to slew the 11" Celestron CPC telescope manually without using any electronic tracking. Also the green laser to point out stars, planets, and the milky way was a great idea.The Stellina sky imager produced beautiful pictures of nebulae and galaxies. I'll have to get one! The only downside was that occasionally, cars with bright lights will come up the road causing glare.
A spectacular 4okay
TIFFANY_F, Apr 2023
Going to the peak of The Summit seeing all the snow and experiencing 22ﾟ temperatures Yes even in Hawaii you need long John's. and the beautiful sunset. Looking at the stars So many of them you just couldn't believe it and almost being able to touch them was Spectacular.. Adam was An amazing tour guide.
A Must-do Experience on the Big Island
EllenKrusi, Feb 2023
Our guide was very knowledgeable; his narrative and conversation on the long drive up to the summit was fun and informative. We were well taken care of and could relax knowing that safety was a priority. The sunset view from the summit was incredible and the stargazing afterward down at the visitor center was fascinating. Definitely a must-do for anyone with the means who is visiting the Big Island.
1 traveler found this review helpful
Bonus
Michael_G, Jan 2023
The Summit and star gazing with the use of equipment was great. We had the extra benefit of the volcanoe also erupting, this could not have been planned but was a super bonus.
Absolutely the best guide
Robert_B, Jan 2023
Stargazing was phenomenal. Guide Adam certainly knows his stuff and his enthusiasm is contagious Ample time for everything that was to be experienced. Totally taken care of the whole day
1 traveler found this review helpful
A magical tour!
Lisa_P, Dec 2022
Eugene was an awesome guide! The sunset and star gazing was amazing and we were lucky enough to see the eruption of Mauna Loa and a few shooting stars! It was absolutely perfect!
Exceptional Mauna Kea Tour.
Rudy_S, Nov 2022
The entire tour experience is exceptional. Our guide, Jeff, is an amazing talent. His knowledge of the terrain, customs, history and astronomy made the tour 5 star.
Stars shooting stars milky way
julie_d, Nov 2022
We were picked up at the King Kamhamea beach hotel on time. Our tour guide was Adam. He was informative and entertaining. We went to the mountain and stopped half way up to acclimate to the thin atmosphere. Theres a visitors center and special garden to walk through. We had supper good food. Went to summit for sunset. We were above the clouds and it was so beautiful. We then went 1/8 down the mountain for the stargazing. It was the night of the new moon. Had never seen so many stars. The milky was was visible across the sky. We saw shooting stars. We all had a chance to look through the telescope. We saw nebulas old supernovas star nurseries jupiter and saturn. We had hot chocolate and really good cookies. It was cold on the summit and where we stargazed. Right around 33 to 36F. The parka kept me warm and under was a sweatshirt and short sleeved shirt. I was wearing jeans and a good pair of sneakers. If you can manage it go on the new moon. I had the time of my life on this tour. So happy I was able to go.
Our tour guide Jon is so...
Ying_C, Nov 2022
Our tour guide Jon is so great and very knowledgeable. We had hot stew and hot drinks during the tours. Great experience and wonderful scene!
1 traveler found this review helpful
Incredible experience!!!
Joshua_D, Nov 2022
We had John as a tour guide and he was awesome! He was funny, personable, and beyond knowledgeable. We could tell he is very passionate about what he does, which made the trip even better. I thought stargazing would be just that, but it was so much more. John explained the different constellations, planets and galaxy’s, which made it so much more enjoyable. The view from the summit was incredible. We were fortunate enough to be able to see Haleakala on Maui. The observatories were very cool to see and really brings out your inner nerd. Overall, this trip was more than I thought it would be, and I would only do this trip again with John!
1 traveler found this review helpful
Terrific trip with a...
Preethi_K, Oct 2022
Terrific trip with a knowlegeable and friendly driver/guide. The food and hot cocoa were better than expected, and the summit and stargazing were a highlight of our trip to the Big Island. Mahalo!
Jason was our guide. He...
Michelle_M, Sep 2022
Jason was our guide. He was excellent! Made us feel comfortable, always checking on us and so knowledgeable. Amazing once of a lifetime experience.
We learned how to...
Richard_M, Sep 2022
We learned how to identify common objects in the night sky. The camera telescope and pictures were great fun. Jon was a good host.
2 travelers found this review helpful
A breathtaking experience!
Kayla_G, Sep 2022
The sunset and stars were amazing! Jeff was awesome. He knew every thing from Hawaiian history, volcanoes, land and astronomy. Jeff made the experience very special!
Beautiful sunset and star gazing
nydf9b79hd, Aug 2022
Adam our tour guide was great ! He was kind , patient , and very knowledgeable. The sunset on Mauna Kea was beautiful and the star gazing was amazing. I highly recommend this tour!
1 traveler found this review helpful
Adam was awesome and views were insane!
Anna_A, Aug 2022
The whole tour was very well planned out and amazingly worth it! We had Adam as our tour guide and he was awesome. You can really tell he enjoyed what he did and we felt very very taken care of; he was knowledgeable and just had a really good energy to him. He really went above and beyond our expectations. Couldn’t recommend him enough (: The only thing I would’ve done differently is bring a little more clothes to wear. I would bring thicker socks, a beanie &/or scarf and maybe an extra long sleeve in addition to closed toe shoes, long pants, and a hoodie. It gets pretty cold even with the parkas and gloves the tour provides.
The stars despite the clouds.
Richard_S, Jul 2022
The stars. And Jeff's enthusiastic commentary. Well done! Worked around the mist and clouds to deliver a great experience.
1 traveler found this review helpful
Loved it!
Heather_D, Jul 2022
What an amazing trip! Our guide was terrific. Very knowledgeable. The views were amazing. Highly recommended!
beautiful Experience!
gloria_c, Jul 2022
Incredible experience! We loved it. We recommend this tour. Adam was our tour guide and was amazing. they provide you jackets for later at night as it gets very cold.
Mauna Kea Star adventure is something you must do when visiting the Big Island.
Jeffrey_P, Jul 2022
Adam was our guide and was amazing. He really worked very hard to brute we had the best experience. Absolutely stunning and beautiful place to visit. Mauna Kea and the views of the island could not be described in worlds. You just need to see for yourself. We even received telescope photos of our observations that night, a very nice touch.
A relaxing, educational & fun tour
Chung_T, Jun 2022
Our tour guide and driver, Jeff, is excellent! He is friendly, efficient, considerate, humorous and knowledgeable. We had a great time! His service is beyond our expectations!
An experience unlike any other.
Candace_R, May 2022
Yesterday we accented 13,000 ft to the summit of Mauna Kea, the largest mountain on our planet! Due to its elevation it is home to 13 observatories!! We saw the VLBA, Keck, Subaru and Gemini telescopes, witnessed the sunset above the clouds and got to star gaze in absolute zero light pollution! The sky was so clear we could see Maui’s hook, the Southern crux and the light from Kilauea’s lava lake! Jason our guide was absolutely fantastic, his knowledge and passion for the Big Island and her history are unmatched!! 🌌☄️💫🔭
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Product code: 2804MKS

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