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
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 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.

Traveler Photos

Featured review

Randall_R

Our guide Jason was great. Very knowledgeable with lots of information regarding island life and history of the island. Hot food and hot chocolate were great. Observing the galaxies and planets was a wonderful addition. Amazing time! I would highly recommend this adventure.

Reviews

5.0

1,071 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

Showing 1-10 of 1,071 reviews

Unbelievable experience fantastic memories with my family!

Jessica_J, Sep 2023

The entire experience was amazing! The stars were beautiful and we enjoyed the evening. Our guide Jeff was very knowledgeable and taught us so much about the volcanoes and stars. We felt very safe with him driving us to and from the mountain. We will be back when we visit the island again. This was a great experience and we can’t say enough good things about it.

What a fantastic excursion!!

David_W, Sep 2023

This was such a fantastic experience! Our guide was absolutely fantastic! The dinner and snacks were wonderful! Sunset on top of the mountain was spectacular, and the stargazing was everything I expected it would be. I haven’t seen stars like this in decades. Just seeing the stars and Milky Way were absolutely exceptional. Then looking through the telescope at various celestial bodies, ending with Saturn was so memorable. I even had a meteor fly through my vision while I was watching one of the groups of stars the telescope was focused on. I won’t be able to look at the night sky, the same way ever again. Thanks for a fantastic event.

Wow!

Stephanie_R, Sep 2023

Wow! Breathtaking views! John, our guide was fun and knowledgeable. He kept us on track so we could get good placement for the sunset and star show. He was also patient as we waiting for the clouds to part. So many stars!!Highly recommend this trip

A must do.

Steve_L, Sep 2023

Fun, informative and great staff! Convenient pick up and drop off, supplies is with all we needed to keep warm. Would definitely do it again.

OH! What A Night!

RosieWalisever, Aug 2023

Never thought I’d see sights like this! Adam, our driver and guide was awesome…..his knowledge of the night sky was impressive and to see him get as excited as we were was pure happiness! We would not have learned as much about the observatories, the cultural impact on our own…..so lucky that we selected this tour. Had an awesome experience…..

An amazing experience

Samantha_B, Jul 2023

We had an amazing time in this tour! It was incredible watching the sunset and then looking at and learning about the stars. Our tour guide, Jason, was incredibly knowledgeable and so informative. He was also very considerate when it came to making sure everyone was ok, that the altitude wasn’t affecting them, and providing water and frequent toilet breaks. Would 100% recommend this to anyone visiting big island!!

Incredible Experience.

Juan_R, Jul 2023

I’ve had this trip up to Mauna Kea on my to-do list for a long time and this tour did not disappoint. Our guide Jason was fantastic and very knowledgeable, as he kept us engaged the entire time teaching us about the history of the mountain and the islands in general. The sunset at the summit was absolutely breathtaking and it was surreal to witness firsthand. Having the added opportunity to star gaze with a telescope and learn a lot about the stars and cosmos was such a treat as well. All in all, it was wonderful experience that I would recommend to anyone visiting the Big Island.

Amazing views!

Bill_D, Jun 2023

This was a great experience and we would definitely recommend this trip and this tour company. Jon wasn’t just an awesome tour guide (super knowledgeable and personable), he was also a great chauffeur for the shuttle van, waiter for dinner and dessert, fashionista for the warm and stylish parka, and astronomer for the star gazing. Highly recommend this tour.

So unique!

John_M, Jun 2023

Such a unique experience! Before we went my family of 4 was a little nervous about the altitude but Jason did a great job keeping everyone safe! We loved the sunset and the stargazing was cool too!

Great adventure

Randall_R, Jun 2023

Mind bending experience

Andrew_S, Jun 2023

Visually stunning! Jeffery Manzo was kind knowledgeable and personified the Aloha spirit. Recommend for all age groups.

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.

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.

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