Mauna Kea Summit Sunset and Stars - Hilo Kona Waikoloa Pick Up

Posted By : Robert_W
So many beautiful sites to see all the way up! Of course, there was a gorgeous sunset and even though we had a full moon, we were able to see so many stars. It was honestly not what I was expecting, but Jessica really was a fantastic guide. She was not only extremely knowledgeable about sooooooo many things, she remembered everyone by name, was very attentive to make sure everyone was feeling alright throughout (and we did have someone in the group who was knit feeling very well). Our trip was sort of combined with another van driven by her husband, Robert. They were an amazing team setting out snacks, telescope, taking pictures for everyone…endless!
Our trip was cancelled on Sunday because of weather, but we got lucky all around tonight.
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Posted On : 2024-05-23 04:57:26

Posted By : Brandon_M
Tay was great. Very knowledgeable about Mauna Kea, Hawaiian culture, geology, and astrology. Not to mention, he was very friendly and entertaining. Would definitely recommend this tour to others.
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Posted On : 2024-05-22 14:53:39

Posted By : annasW5644CP
Today we had breakfast and lunch onboard the ship and then took a tender to the pier around 2:00 pm. We were surprised to find that the pier area had tons of stores and restaurants all within easy walking distance. Right beside the pier was a Marriott Hotel so we arranged for an Uber to pick us up and drive us to the meeting place for our tour today, “Mauna Kea Summit Sunset and Stars” thru Viator. We could have walked it but it was a bit lengthy at our age. We were dropped off at the Bank of Kona which is in the same plaza as the Target store and a variety of commercial stores and some restaurants. We were picked up there by our van driver, Jaime, along with 4-5 other couples. We then were driven about an hour further to pick up 3-4 other couples at a hotel and then Jamie drove us about an hour further while answering questions and providing interesting about the area and about himself. I asked Jamie about all of the goats I saw on either side of the road, sometimes small herds of them. He said they were brought to the island by Captain Cook and other early explorers and since they have no natural predators they have continued to thrive and reproduce, totally unbothered by visitors and vehicles.

He then turned us over to two 4x4 Mercedes vehicles driven by Robert and Jesse, husband and wife who met at college in California twenty years earlier. They drove us to the Ranger’s station where we spent about 30 minutes using the bathrooms and getting climatized to the altitude. We watched as the rangers interviewed anyone who wanted to go up to the Summit to assure that they were familiar with how to prepare for altitude sickness, to be sure they had not experienced it before and – if so – how did they adjust, and to be sure they were driving a vehicle that they could manage with all of the switchbacks since the drive is incredibly steep. As a tour group we drove around the line and started our adventure up the mountain.

Robert and Jesse stopped off the main road partway up the mountain so that we could see a radio tower that is connected to several others that are all collecting and sharing data and while we were standing around listening to Robert explain the various rock formations we saw the tower move around slowly and the third time it moved it came all the way around so it was facing us, which I found pretty exciting. We loaded up in the vans and continued up and up and up. Watching out the van windows I saw the clouds above us and then beside us and then below us, making it clear how much ground we were truly covering.

Finally we made it to the Summit and were able to step out and get our bearings. I immediately noticed that every time I took a step it felt as if I planted my feet but then my legs from the ankles up would feel wobbly. I told my husband how I was feeling and he confessed that he was not feeling all that well, so he asked Robert for some water and chocolate and right after that a few other couples also asked for some so he felt better that he was not the only person feeling the effects of the height.
Soon the sun began to set and we watched for about 25 minutes as it set and the array of rich colors because to become more bold and vibrant right before our eyes. Viator provided us all with warm parkas and gloves which was very much appreciated since we joined the tour from our cruise ship so we obviously did not have room to carry bulky clothing like that in our luggage.

Robert and Jesse soon gathered us up and began to drive down the steep road a way, stopping periodically to check on other drivers who were progressing slowly or had pulled over, to make sure they were not in any distress or to see if they needed immediate help. They were both very eager to make sure that everyone had a positive and safe experience, even if not with our group.

They then took us to another road off of the main road where they set up a table with hot chocolate and lots of snacks (helpful since they had advised us to not have a heavy meal before the trip, so none of us had dinner). While Robert answered questions and checked on everyone Jesse set up her camera equipment and took pictures of each couple using a timed exposure on her camera so that we were able to get a few stars in the background, although not as many as we had expected to see in the darkness. The pictures were emailed to us a couple of days later and were part of our tour package.

We finally packed up and Robert and Jesse drove us back to meet Jamie so he could return all of to our pick-up spots. By the time we had dropped off almost everyone there was just us and one other couple who were both returning to the ship. Jamie was kind enough to return us to the pier so we gave him an extra tip for his kindness.

This was our fourth and final Viator tour on this vacation and each one was perfectly executed and so worth the price. We were so fortunate on this cruise that the ship started in Honolulu for two days and then moved to Hilo for two days and then finally to Kona for two days. This allowed us the first day to plan later tours in order to get a different experience.
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Posted On : 2024-05-20 23:22:08

Posted By : Jennifer_R
The telescopes were neat to see but they really should have cancelled since there was barely any visibility due to the clouds. Didn’t get to see a sunset or really any stars.
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Posted On : 2024-05-19 15:08:52

Posted By : Laura_S
Unforgettable experience. One of the most dramatic sunsets I had ever seen. Tour guides were great. W. This was the highlight of our trip to the Big Island. Where else can you be staying at sea level and at 79F and a couple hours later at 13K ft at 31 F with a 20 mph wind..
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Posted On : 2024-05-19 14:05:42

Posted By : Abdallah_E
Excellent tour! Jessica was an incredible tour guide, and the whole experience was simply fabulous. Highly recommend!
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Posted On : 2024-05-19 02:38:09

Posted By : janekS3347QG
Wonderful trip! Well organized with on-time local pick-up in Waikoloa, then transfer to comfortable Mercedes vans for the ride to the top of Mauna Kea. Beautiful sunset and then stargazing with very knowledgeable guides. The warm coats provided for the summit are the best!
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Posted On : 2024-05-16 19:45:16

Posted By : Tenof10
My husband and I booked a cruise in Hawaii and the cruise started in Honolulu for two days and then moved onto Hilo for two days and then Kona for two days. By staying overnight this gave us the opportunity to book this nighttime tour of the Mauna Kea Summit so that we could see the sunset. We were picked up a short distance from the pier in a van by a really pleasant young man named Jamie. He pick up several couples at this location and then drove about a half hour to a second site where he picked up two more couples. We then drove another hour to a meeting point where we were transferred to two 4x4 vehicles driven by Robert and Jessica who also happen to be husband and wife. During the first drive Jamie was very informative about the landscape and many different names for Hawaiian sites and landmarks. I asked about the large groups of goats that were clustered on both sides of the road. He said that they came here with adventurers. Since they have no natural predators they have just continued to multiply.

Once we transferred to the 4x4 vans my husband and I were in Robert's van and we proceeded to the Visitor's Center where we stayed for about a half house so we could use the bathrooms and acclimate ourselves to the altitude. There is a small gift shop and the rangers speak to anyone who is planning to drive to the summit independent of a tour. Robert confessed that he is a bit of "geek" when it comes to the entire area and the need to respect Hawaiian heritages and traditions. He and Jesse met in college and they both love the study of stars. As we passed the building that the rangers stay in during their three-day shifts. They have identified a plant that produces a pod that is poisoness to everyone but a small bird who's population has seriously decreased. He and his wife spend time on their days off at the ranger's station cultivating these plants so that they can be planted to try and encourage these birds come and feed there so that their population will hopefully incease. As we traveled up the side of the summit, driving on one switchback to another the views were spectacular. We pulled into a small road that led to a radio dish that Robert told us is connected to several other similar dishes that collect and share data. While we were there Robert took pictures of each couple with our own cameras and he shared information about the radio dish and gave us some time to get used to the change in temperature and admire the view. He also showed us several rocks and explained how each rock was developed.

We saw so many amazing views of the sun and slowly climbed above the clouds to the point where we were well above them and then finally on the summit surrounded by huge telescopes places there by large companies. When we exited the van I noticed immediately that when I would take a step it felt like my legs from the ankle up felt like they were wobbling. The temperature was also so much colder, especially as the sun set. Robert pointed out porta-johns for us to use and they were every bit as bad as I have often imagined, but we used them out of necessity. Robert offered us parkas and gloves, which we gladly accepted. The only disappointment was that the view was not as clear as the picture on the Viator site due to all of the vans and cars parked everywhere that blocked our views when taking photographs. We watched the sunset for about 25 minutes and then we boarded the van again and traveled partway down the mountain to a road where we parked and Robert and Jesse set up a table with hot chocolate and several snacks. Robert talked about the various star formations while is wife, Jesse, set up a camera so that she could take night time pictures taken for each couple which they later emailed to each of us showing us with the beautiful nighttime sky behind and above us.

Robert and Jessie then drove us back down the mountain and we met up with Jamie and transferred to his van. Jamie then drove us the rest of the way down to our pick-up spot. There was one couple on the van with us who was also on the same cruise ship as us, so he took back to the pier so we did not have to walk in the dark or pay for an Uber to get back to the ship.
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Posted On : 2024-05-16 08:38:51

Posted By : Rose_E
Our tour guide Tey was very knowledgeable and friendly, we learned a lot from him!
The whole experience was amazing 👌🏻
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Posted On : 2024-05-16 07:05:42

Posted By : Cathleen_C
Tay was our guide and he was awesome. Extremely knowledgeable and interesting. They use headset / mic system in the van so everyone be can hear. Prompt pick up easy to find. Communication before hand was excellent about what to expect, how to prepare, pick up confirmation. We were offered parkas to use at the ranger station as it was already cold. They are fun and super warm! We went to the ranger station for acclamation and bummer…. They closed the road just as we were getting ready to head up due to icy conditions forming so we didn’t actually get to complete the tour. However, that was also handled very professionally. Immediate refunds and offer to reschedule for next available tour. Unfortunately we were leaving the day that the next tour was available. I would definitely book this tour again. Others we looked at didn’t seem as all inclusive as this one. On the way back Tay drove us by Rainbow Falls and Boiling Pots. Yes, we were disappointed of the cancellation out of their control.. but considering that happened it could have been handled poorly…. But they made it the best possible experience.. next time at the Big Island, we will definitely book this same tour!
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Posted On : 2024-05-15 15:27:29