We will take you to the summit of Mauna Kea to see the sunset and we will do stargazing afterward (not at the summit). Our most unique part is that our guides will take the photo of the sunset and stars for you using their DSLR camera.
All photos are free of charge and you will get it to your smartphone at the end of the tour.
Posted By : Jackie_L
The guide was excellent. He was knowledgeable about the stars, sunset, photography and general Hawaiian information. He made it an excellent experience
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Posted On : 2024-04-23 16:36:45 
Posted By : M5589BElaural
Our tour guide was knowledgeable and had fun stories. He also did a great job of navigating the roads! He worked to make sure everyone's pictures were clear and fun!
Unfortunately, it was almost a full moon, so seeing much of the stars was tough. He did a good job of using a very strong laser pointer and a star app to make it better.
They had sandwiches and water, then hot chocolate. They also had parkas, pants and gloves available. (YEA, since the wind was blowing hard!
The company was very helpful when I had us starting at the wrong pick-up spot--they adjusted the day of the tour with no worries or cost.
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Posted On : 2024-04-23 00:19:08 
Posted By : Michelli2011
Our tour guide, Steph, is knowledgeable, patient, and attentive. Sadly, we learned that he will be leaving for good at the end of May 2024. Best luck in his future endeavors.
About the tour, what you read is what you get. I received both photos of sunset and stargazing as promised, and they came out pretty.
We were given a bottle of water and BLT sandwich (not sure that is always the choice for anyone vegetarian) at the beginning of our tour. Hot chocolate when we gazed at stars. Parka and gloves are available when requested. It gets cold at the summit.
Timing is everything when visiting the Mauna Kea. Do not expect to see much when the sky is cloudy, rainy, or snow. I also learned that when the moon is full, it becomes a little more difficult to see stars, as the Moon itself becomes light pollution.
I am not sure what the cancelation, reschedule, or refund policies is. I picked the best day of the whole week to go, AND I jumped to book my trip as soon as the weather cleared up. You can also take your chances to book your tour on the day of. Good luck.
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Posted On : 2024-04-19 10:43:52
Posted By : Steven_O
This tour is so surreal, with so many beautiful moments to enjoy -- a unique experience that you wouldn't expect to get on an island. We were picked up from the Queen's Marketplace in Waikoloa, having spent the morning at sea level in the water, and were given a water bottle to aid in keeping us hydrated during this tour. The drive up to the visitor's center is about an hour, so our tour guide, Wes, used the time to share important information with us. On the way to the visitor's center we learned some history of the island and were instructed about the possibility of altitude sickness. Wes explained the symptoms to watch out for and what we could do to make sure we felt our best (namely drinking water, not eating a lot, breathing deeply, and taking it easy on the summit). I really appreciated the detail he gave during this time because our entire tour of 12 people felt fine the whole trip. Once at the visitor's center, we were all given a BLT sandwich (vegan options available) and a chance to acclimate (30 minutes required) and use the restroom before hopping back in the van. The trip to the top was so cool as we drove above cloud-level to get to the summit. Once on the summit, we were offered ski pants and a parka and were able to enjoy the views around the summit. Just before sunset, Wes took pictures of each of us with the sunset behind us. Watching the sun disappear below the clouds was beautiful and an experience I'm so glad I had! After sunset, we drove down the mountain about 10 minutes and parked in an open lot where we were offered hot cocoa as we looked at the stars. Without any clouds in the way the view is breathtaking. Wes guided us through finding a number of constellations and took one final picture of our group with the stars behind us. What a cool tour, unlike anything else you can do on the Big Island!
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Posted On : 2024-04-15 18:23:06
Posted By : NAOKI_O
The tour was well coordinated, by giving our body time to adjust high mountain. The tour guide-cum-driver-cum-photographer was far above our expectations. He also give guidance in both English and Japanese, which satisfied all participants from both countries. Needles to say, the highlight of the tour was sunset seen from the summit and sky full of beautiful stars. I definitely recommend this tour, if you are considering the summit visit. After the experience, my wife and I concluded the tour price was reasonable.
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Posted On : 2024-04-10 15:34:59
Posted By : Amber_K
I had a terrible tour experience. Our guide Joseph seemed very uninterested in providing us with an enjoyable tour and sounded like he was reading off a script. Even at a glance I could tell the other tour guides were more enthusiastic, and people seemed more happier than our group. There was no group photo. There were 8 of us in the tour, and unfortunately one person experienced altitude sickness at the summit. Understandably we agreed to go down earlier than expected. However, I never would have thought that this meant the entire tour group had to abandon part of the program. We never got to see the stars and the entire group had to simply go home. If altitude sickness is a predictable part of the program, I would expect that the tour would have better preparations such as medicine, beverages, sweets, an extra van to take patients back early or even light suggestions on how to prepare for such situations. Instead the rest of the tour group is expected to test their luck and money on the health of others. I raised privately raised my concerns at the end of the tour and asked if a partial refund was available, but Joseph’s response was to shut me down by saying it’s “policy” and implying that I had no “empathy” and “compassion”. I showed my empathy and compassion when I agreed to leave the summit early. We were never informed beforehand that such a situation would occur when someone got sick. I paid a lot of money for this tour and I would expect to be at least informed of such things. I was very disappointed in the guide’s handling of the situation and the rudeness he displayed to me. I would never recommend this tour to anyone, and urge people to visit Mauna Kea on their own vehicles.
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Posted On : 2024-04-09 13:06:59
Posted By : Jennifer_P
The star gazing portion of the tour was great. The drive up can be strenuous and be ready for a very bumpy road up the summit.
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Posted On : 2024-04-03 15:12:33
Posted By : Valerie_R
Finally got to experience Mauna Kea, we have tied sever times during past visits to the Island but weather did cooperate. It was worth the wait! Wes was our host and van driver and he was great! The views are spectacular both sunset and stars. They provide warm gear to keep you comfy. We didn’t get the BLTs for dinner due to Easter closings for some local businesses so had store deli sandwiches. Definitely recommend this tour.
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Posted On : 2024-04-03 14:33:23
Posted By : Brooke_B
This was a once in a lifetime experience with a fantastic guide, Wes. He was informative about all things Hawaii, brought great energy to the experience, made sure we felt safe and comfortable at all times, and added some humour! They bring you up to the visitor station at 9000ft to acclimatize (everyone has to do this) for 30mins, we ate our provided sandwiches, then drove up another 30mins to the top. We were up at the top for about an hour, Wes took great pictures of each of the individual groups on our tour (10 people), watched the sunset then went down to a slightly lower mini parking lot to stargaze. Wes gave us hot chocolate and we got to see Jupiter through a telescope (not great definition but you could see a white circle and its 4 moons), and he used a lazer pointer to show us different constellations. We finished with photos in front of the stars, then he drove us back to our initial pickup locations. Overall fantastic experience with awesome guide - HIGHLY RECOMMEND.
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Posted On : 2024-03-29 14:56:57
Posted By : Lynn_H
Very good guide in west who went out of his way to explain. Only issue is the limited pick up points to join the trip.
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Posted On : 2024-03-23 19:28:48
