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

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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)

lgexplores

Feb 2020

Amazing star gazing night and coffee plantation tour Started out underwhelming.. but it was totally worth the long drives. The hospitality at the coffee plantation was like going to an old friends home Jon is amazingly knowledgeable about star gazing and we learnt a ton of astronomy news in spite of being geeks ourselves 😀 Even the clouds disappeared on his command 😄

Response from Host

Feb 2020

Aloha! Sounds like a blast. Mahalo for adventuring with us and for the awesome review. If you have any photos from your tour, we'd love to see them -- be sure to follow and tag us on Instagram @Kapohokine.

DianeL1609

Feb 2020

This was very disappointing. We spent so much time waiting in line to look thru the telescope and everyone was trying to get some kind of focus that was not happening. You really could not see things much better than with the naked eye. At the coffee plantation we never got to see the trees up close as we were down at the infinity pool and would have to walk uphill quite a ways to see them and we only had 1/2 hour. BBQ meal was again disappointing, nothing like we were led to believe at the presentation. Very very expensive

davidnjfranklin

Jan 2020

This trip started with a visit to a coffee farm and dinner which, while pleasant enough, didn’t hint at the quality of what was to come. A drive up the old saddle road brought us to the middle of the island at about 7000 feet. Todd, our guide, set up the telescope (a 10 inch refractor? Maybe?) and proceeded to take us on a tour of hard to see binary stars, star clusters that are invisible to the naked eye, and most impressively, the Orion Nebula. One note. It was 43 degrees up there (while it was 80 down in Kona). And we were outside looking through the telescope for a couple of hours. So be sure to bring warm clothes and shoes. But this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. And I’m so glad we had a chance to do it. (The photo was taken with my cell phone through the eyepiece of the telescope!)

Response from Host

Jan 2020

Aloha David! Mahalo for adventuring with us and for the awesome review. What an epic shot of the moon! Glad to hear you enjoyed your Mauna Kea tour. Be sure to follow and tag us on Instagram @Kapohokine.