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

Wed 23 Oct

Other dates

You can choose the date already on the booking website

Starting at $263.76

Make a reservation

Wed 23 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)

P650DXchris

May 2022

So I’ll start off by saying our tour guide Adam was FANTASTIC! Very knowledgeable and has some fire hot sauce! I was disappointed that we didn’t see many stars. The moon was bright and beautiful but also made a lot of light pollution therefore more difficult to see stars. Also thought we would be going to the actual observatory on the summit of Mauna Key based on the photo and description but we went about 1/2 way up. Overall a bit underwhelming for the money paid.

tallbuck

May 2022

This was a poor experience from the get-go. I called several days ahead to verify something and found out they didn't have a contact number for me. I had registered online. We had to give our meal request three times. We were sent standard liability releases online, but had to re-sign it on paper to board the van. Of the 7 hours of the event, we were in the van 5 of them. Adam, our driver, had many interesting stories, but few of them related to astronomy. Most were general Hawaiian history or culture that are staples of other tours. We knew this tour would not go to the summit, but we topped out lower than expected - under 7000 feet, he guessed. And we parked very close to an Army base, from which we got to listen to helicopter flights and live fire artillery practice! For all the talk of providing parkas for us, it was in the mid 50s and I would have been comfortable in just a sweatshirt I brought along. The star views were a bust. The brightness of the moon made seeing the Milky Way impossible. There were no planets. Clouds blotted out stars for a time. None of these things were the fault of Kapohokine, but they contributed to a bust of a night. Adam wasn't very informative about astronomy. He would use an app on his phone to identify constellations, but they didn't always match up with his narrative. This was just a poorly executed trip.

Jim_S

May 2022

Your in the area of the greatest star gazing in the world. Great tour to learn what is above you. Coming from the mainland and city living the world above is not seen. Our galactic guide Marcus did a great job . Against the movie DO LOOK UP!