Big Island Mauna Kea Summit Sunset and Stargazing
Description
Experience the magic of Mauna Kea at nearly 14,000 feet above the Pacific Ocean. Watch a breathtaking sunset from the summit, then enjoy expert-led stargazing with a professional telescope in one of the world’s best night-sky locations. This small-group tour has been operated continuously since 1989 by a trusted, fully permitted local company. Travel in luxury 4WD vans with professionally trained guides who prioritize safety, comfort, and personalized service. Learn about the cultural significance of Mauna Kea and the wonders of the universe—where ancient Hawaiians believed the Earth meets the heavens. Heavy-duty parkas, local snacks, and hot chocolate are included. Convenient pickups in Kailua-Kona and Waikoloa Beach Resort.
Tour Options
Itinerary
We take time at the Visitor Center to safely acclimate to the high altitude while exploring the gift shop and educational displays that highlight Maunakea’s world-class observatories, unique environment, and deep cultural significance.
Explore the summit, home to world-renowned observatories, and watch a stunning sunset sink into the clouds and horizon.
Descend to a lower-elevation stargazing site (between 13,000 and 9,000 feet) after sunset, and experience the night sky from one of the best viewing locations on Earth. Your expert guide will bring the stars to life with fascinating insights into the universe, while a professional telescope reveals breathtaking celestial objects up close.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- The tour may be canceled before departure due to weather or road closures. If that happens, you’ll be offered a new date or a full refund.
- If the weather turns unfavorable during the tour, we’ll still do our best to provide a great experience. If we cannot reach the summit due to road closures or other unforeseen issues, you’ll receive a full refund or credit.
- Alcohol beverages are not allowed.
- Drunk or intoxicated guests are not allowed.
- A minimum of 3 guests is required to hold a tour. If we have fewer than 3 bookings 24 hours before departure, the tour will be canceled unless existing guests choose to pay the difference.
- Pets, including service animals, are not allowed to ensure the comfort and safety of guests with allergies or animal phobias.
- No meals are included. Please eat a full meal before the tour. We do provide some nice local snacks.
- A cup of hot chocolate will be served during the stargazing.
- If a guest becomes ill or injured and cannot continue, the group may need to adjust the itinerary. Anyone leaving the tour must be accompanied by a companion (if applicable) and arrange their own return transportation at their own expense.
- If you need an XL parka, please request the quantity at booking.
- Age restriction: 13-80 yrs old
- Guests with heart conditions, lung disease, or serious medical issues are allowed.
- Pregnant guests are not allowed.
- Guests who have been scuba diving within 24 hours are not allowed.
- Severely obese guests (BMI over 40.0) are not allowed.
Reviews(20)
Happy to be on on this 7.5 hour tour with the super knowledgeable, conscientious, and helpful tour guide John Soreyama! My friends and I may now actually bother to remember how to locate the North Star, should our light-polluted-filled city skies back home allow, and marvel at the small but significant information of humans' understanding that the star's position correlates with one's latitude. Of course getting to top of the world's tallest mountain on this incredible island in such a comfortable fashion alone was the cat's meow, considering our "golden" years, but dipping our toes into a small slice of the starry skies was icing on the cake. Great short visit!
A sunset above the clouds you could never see from anywhere else. John was our tour guide for the day and made an incredible experience for us. He was so knowledgeable, nice and fun while taking great care of us with his attentive driving, coats, food and hot chocolate. We were so glad we didn’t try to drive this on our own not only because of the steep and small roads, but also because we would have missed so much of his experience and knowledge of the summit and island. The star gazing with him showing us the stars, planets and zodiac signs and how many light years away everything is. It was unexpected and really fun. Now the sunset- just unreal. We took so many pictures it was so so beautiful to see. We were also fortunate to have the moon rising at the same time. Thanks John for a day we will cherish as a special vacation memory.
Booking the Mauna Kea Sunset and Stars tour with Taikobo was the highlight of our family trip to the Big Island, and our guide, John, made it absolutely incredible! The small group size of just 9 people made the entire experience feel personalized, and John was a phenomenal driver up the rugged summit roads. Watching the sunset from the peak was breathtaking, but the stargazing portion was where John really made our night! My son is a huge astronomy buff and really wanted to see nebulae. John went completely out of his way, taking extra time to align the telescope and track down beautiful deep-space nebulae just for him. His deep knowledge of the cosmos and patient, engaging attitude made it an unforgettable night for our family. The heavy parkas and hot cocoa kept us warm, but John’s hospitality is what we will remember most. If you book with Taikobo, ask for John!
This was an awesome unique experience. This is one of the top places in the world for stargazing (like top 3), countries around the globe build all their observatories here, and I've never seen so many stars in the sky in my life. Our tour guide John had an elite telescope with him and was incredibly knowledgeable about the stars. He showed us three planets, and insane closeup of the moon, did some amazing night photography that he shared, and we had parkas and snacks packed. The snorkeling, beaches, and waterfalls are probably what Hawaii is most known for, but I've seen / done that type of stuff at many locations. This was truly unique and something you can only do here. The sunset while looking down at the clouds was crazy. To stand on top of a mountain and look down at the clouds as if you were on a plane was just crazy. It is cold, and though there were parkas, if you are planning in advance, I'd bring a winter hat with you to wear, otherwise long pants is probably sufficient.
It was an amazing experience, getting to see the sunset was captivating. We were treated with snacks and hot chocolate and a telescope to see the moon, Jupiter venus and mercury. Our tour guide John was very knowledgeable and very accommodating. 11 out of 10
We had such a nice time and the sunset was beautiful. John was an excellent tour guide, he was knowledgeable and so kind. He made the experience memorable.
John our tour guide was absolutely awesome! He made sure the tour went smoothly without any issues, even went above and beyond to help another groups tour member who was sick. The views were absolutely stunning. It was such an awesome experience to see the telescopes, the sun set and all the beautiful stars. I cannot recommend this enough tour enough! We road up the mountain in a super comfy van, the snacks were delicious and I appreciated the hot chocolate once the sun went down. Definitely bring layers.. because it gets cold as soon as the sunsets! 20/10 recommends this tour.
Expect to be treated well, have expectation that are 100% aligned to the outcomes you will experience. If John is your guide, you will have a seamless trip, start to finish!!!
Incredible experience. Our guide John was fabulous and was incredible with knowledge and facts about the entire experience.
John was our guide for the tour and did an amazing job! The ride to the top of Mauna Kea was comfortable complete with locally sourced snacks. We were not able to see stars as clearly as we would have liked, but it was cloudy and one day after a full moon. John still made it interesting and informative with his high powered telescope and knowledge of astronomy. Great excursion worth the time and money.
