Maunakea Stellar Explorer from KONA

Overview

For an out-of-this-world experience, check out Maunakea Stellar Explorer from KapohoKine Adventures. This thrilling adventure is the only Big Island star tour to feature nighttime astronomical observing AND safe daytime solar viewing with all ages welcome! Our in-house stellar explorers are the best and most experienced in Hawaii with one having created the Mauna Kea Visitor’s Center and operated it for a decade. Others on staff have written noted articles and reviews for well-known astronomy magazines and have worked at world-class observatories.

City: Big Island of Hawaii

Thu 24 Oct

Other dates

You can choose the date already on the booking website

Starting at $263.76

Make a reservation

Thu 24 Oct

Starting at $263.76

Make a reservation

New York City Tours

Unique Activities (21) Transfers & Transportation (103) Tours, Sightseeing & Cruises (113) Entry Tickets (47) Sporting Events (1) Good for Small Groups (6) Seasonal & Holiday Tours (41) Walking Tours (697) Outdoor Activities (20) Limitied Availability Tours (6) LGBT Friendly Tours (4) Family-friendly Activities (7) Solo Travelers' Tours (147) Food & Drinks (27) Travelers recommend (73) Good for Groups (8) Top Activities (18) Guided Audio Tours (3) Art, Culture & History (135) Attractions to explore (38)

What's Included

Hotel pickup and drop-off

Bottled water

Driver/guide

Dinner

Jackets

Additional Info

Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
Public transportation options are available nearby
Suitable for all physical fitness levels

What To Expect

Kailua-Kona

The adventure starts with dinner.

Saddle Road

Next, you’ll travel across Saddle Road between Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa, two of the tallest and most massive volcanoes on Earth. Your National Park Service trained guide will discuss the volcanology, geology, and history of these monstrous wonders, as well as providing in-depth narration on the various lava flows and flora and fauna that you’ll be passing by. Lastly, your guide will take you to one of our preferred locations on Mauna Kea for nighttime stargazing.

Mauna Kea

You’ll observe deep sky and planetary objects through a large aperture Dobsonian telescope under one of the darkest and most pristine skies on planet Earth! Our Dobsonian telescopes are a true purist’s experience to view the night sky. Their fast focal ratio enables you to see sprawling wide field views of objects that simply aren’t possible with the types of telescopes used by other tours. Depending on what is visible in the current sky and weather permitting, you’ll observe galaxies, nebula, star clusters, planets, double star systems, the moon, and much more; all the highlights and showpiece objects like you’ve never seen before! Afterwards, warm up with Kona coffee and hot chocolate before returning to your resort. Warm jackets provided. This tour does not visit Maunakea’s summit out of deference to Native Hawaiian concerns.

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Traveler Photos

Reviews (70)

Eugene_C

Jun 2021

Good information from Krystal but disappointed that the weather prevented us being able to get out of the van and stargaze.

dameyawn

Jun 2021

This tours description is very misrepresentative of what happens. Man, what a waste of a half-day of our vacation. Super disappointed. Company is blocking Tripadvisor from giving me a refund as well. Destination #2 on the map is NOT gone to on this tour. You never leave Saddle Road to go up Mauna Kea whatsoever, let alone anywhere near the observatories. You get to see the sunset from a bathroom stop with a playground and trees in the way of your view. Really bad. There is no coffee farm. There is no BBQ supper or local artisan baker "dessert" whatsoever. We got a tiny Milky Way bar. No Mamalahoa Kona Heritage Corridor at all. There is only 1 telescope, so there are long wait times and short viewing times for all guests to use it. No seating provided for a couple hours during this if that's something you'd want. The guide herself was nice and knowledgeable, and I don't blame her.

Chris H

May 2021

Our guide Rich had an excellent background in Astronomy, and was able to show us many wonders of the night sky. At nearly 7000 feet, we had an amazing view of the heavens, and cannot recall when I saw so many stars!! The tour had 9 participants, so this limited the time that you could spend looking through the single telescope that was available. There were no places to sit during the stargazing, so everyone had to stand for 1 1/2 hours. Camp chairs would be a nice addition to this tour. Other points to improve was that the tour description talked about a stop at a plantation for a incredible dinner, which in reality was limited to a rest stop by the road (due to COVID) and consisted of a basic sandwich, chips and water. Also, pick up of all tour participants took almost 1 1/2 hour along the Kona coast, before the actual tour started.