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

Fri 17 Jan

Other dates

You can choose the date already on the booking website

Starting at $263.76

Make a reservation

Fri 17 Jan

Starting at $263.76

Make a reservation

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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)

eckspressions

Mar 2020

What an amazing tour we had! Jon picked us up at 2:45 and took us to the Kona Coffee Direct coffee farm. We were instructed on the process of growing and roasting coffee beans. Jon ( tour guide) prepared our meal, we ate and were on our way. (The coffee farm had a very warm, welcoming hospitality.) We spent a bit of time finding the best place to view the night sky. Then began the most amazing course on everything sky-related. Jon, our tour guide, spent approximately two hours with his laser pointer and his telescope showing us stars and planets and constellations and deep sky objects and nebulae and dying stars, etc. In addition, he shared folklore, facts and stories about objects in the night sky. The temperature was 46 degrees when we returned to the van; however, the wind chill factor made it feel much colder!! We cannot believe that there can be a tour guide better than Jon. His knowledge, his passion for the topic and his ability to communicate were amazing. He tends to take general information and make it more comprehensible for those listening. The laser pointer was a focusing technique which kept us involved in the vast amount of information he was able to share. We highly recommend the Maunakea Stellar Expedition. In addition, if you are able to get Jon as your tour guide, you’ll have the best!!

Response from Host

Mar 2020

Aloha! Mahalo for adventuring with us and for the great review. I'm sure many will find this helpful! Jon will be happy to hear you enjoyed your tour. We hope you'll join us for another adventure the next time your back on the island. Find us on Instagram @Kapohokine.

lillisunshine

Feb 2020

I did the tour by myself end of January and in the same group were folks from as far away as Australia and Scotland. Also kids and I think we all enjoyed it. A shout-out to Marcus who was our guide! He knows everything about the night skies and was able to make it a wonderful experience for all. Even though conditions for stargazing were initially not that great. We eventually also got to take excellent photos of the moon through his telescope. Before heading up to the mountain we did an interesting little tour of Kona Farm Direct Coffee. Where we also had dinner and Marcus turned out to be a great BBQ cook as well. In case you are vegetarian … let him know and tofu is on the menu for you!

Response from Host

Feb 2020

Aloha and mahalo for the wonderful review. Sorry to hear that the weather conditions weren't the best for stargazing but am happy to hear you had a wonderful time regardless. We hope to have you join us on another adventure real soon! Be sure to follow and tag us on Instagram @Kapohokine.

Michael_M

Feb 2020

Very good and great trip good experience to and guid was great to learned a lot about astronomy and space and stars