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)

anthonyhage8901

Oct 2019

I am giving 4 Stars only because the BBQ was disappointing. Other than that the scenery at the coffee farm and dinner location were excellent. Marcus was great knowledgeable and enthusiastic about astronomy. The star gazing part was excellent with very clear skies. make sure you bring a warm jacket.

Response from Host

Oct 2019

Aloha Anthony -- I'm sorry you found the BBQ disappointing. I will pass your feedback on to management. Mahalo for the review and I hope you'll adventure again with us in the future.

Seeleyhb

Sep 2019

One of the best tour so far! Marcus was so knowledgable about the night sky and kept us entertained the whole evening.

Response from Host

Sep 2019

Aloha! Sounds like a great time was had by all. Mahalo for adventuring with us and for the review. Just a heads up, if you share a pic/video from your recent KapohoKine adventure on Instagram and tag it #GoKapoho and @Kapohokine you can enter to win a GoPro Hero 7 black and other cool prizes.

Botmuy

Jul 2019

For the first half of the tour it was pouring. John still helped BBQ our ribs and chicken for dinner and it was delicious! The area where we ate was beautiful. Too bad we couldn't explore it more since it was raining. John put out positive energy and the skies finally cleared up for us to watch the sunset and see the stars. He was very knowledgeable about everything. My kids (9 + 11) both enjoyed it and found it interesting. It does get cold up there so make sure to bring warm clothes.

Response from Host

Aug 2019

Aloha! Happy to hear you had a wonderful time even with the rain. Mahalo for the wonderful review and for adventuring with us!