Mauna Kea is a massive dormant volcano with a peak sitting at over 4,000 meters above sea level which makes it the highest point in all of Hawaii and the second-highest peak of an island on the entire planet.
Considered a shrine for worship and as a “home to the gods”, it is very important to Hawaiians, and its preservation is taken very seriously. Thanks to the extremely dry environment about it, it’s extremely clear and offers unmatchable views of the stars from the summit.
The best way to take advantage of this phenomenon is by going on a tour! We have all the best stargazing summit tours at Mauna Kea right here for you, so don’t go anywhere!
Be sure to see our reviews of Big Island helicopter tours, Big Island volcano tours and Big Island snorkel tours.
Best Mauna Kea Stargazing Summit Tours
| Mauna Kea Summit Sunset and Stargazing Tour | Mauna Kea Stargazing Experience + Photos | Best Mauna Kea Summit Tour (Free sunset and star photo!) | |
|---|---|---|---|
Best Value Tour | Best Family Tour | Best Full Day Tour | |
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| Departure: | Hotel pickup and drop-off available | Mauna Kea Forest Reserve , 44-5400 Daniel K. Inouye Hwy, Waimea | Variety Available |
| Start: | 4:00 PM | 9:30 PM | 2:15 PM |
| Duration: | 7 hours | 2 hours | 8 hours |
| Includes: | Pickup and drop-off (select locations), snacks and hot chocolate, free DSLR night photos (sent via email), parkas, gloves | All activities, professional photographer guide, parka jackets, complimentary medium resolution photos | Dinner, bottled water, snow parka, ski pants, gloves, admission fee for Mauna Kea 4x4 passenger van, expert tour guide, DSLR camera photo, astronomical telescope |
Quick Answer: The 5 Best Stargazing Summit Tours at Mauna Kea
- Best Value Tour: Mauna Kea Summit Sunset and Stargazing Tour
- Best Family Tour: Mauna Kea Stargazing Experience + Photos
- Best Full Day Tour: Best Mauna Kea Summit Tour (Free sunset and star photo!)
- Best Sightseeing Tour: Maunakea Stellar Explorer From HILO
- Best Small Group Tour: Mauna Kea Summit and Stars Small-Group Adventure Tour
Mauna Kea Stargazing Summit Tour Reviews
1. Best Value Tour: Mauna Kea Summit Sunset and Stargazing Tour
- Duration: 7.5 to 8 hours
- Departure: Hotel pickup and drop-off available
- Departure Time: 4:00 PM
- Includes: Pickup and drop-off (select locations), snacks and hot chocolate, free DSLR night photos (sent via email), parkas, gloves
Hawaii is a place full of natural beauty that never stops surprising or impressing us. It’s one of those states that no matter how much you visit, there’s always something to wonder at. With the Mauna Kea Summit Sunset and Stargazing Tour, you’re sure to be blown away by the entire experience.
This 7-hour tour starts off by you being picked up at your hotel, so there’s no need to deal with organizing transportation to another meetup point.
Make sure you bring comfortable clothes, and long pants that are flexible enough to move in easily. Due to the high elevation, the temperatures can drop to below freezing!
You’ll all start heading up to the summit, as your guide tells you about the importance of this magical place. They’ll speak about its relevance and cultural significance throughout history, as well as present-day.
They do offer a warm parka, gloves, and a hot drink as well so you stay comfy and never too chilly.
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Once you arrive to the top of the volcano, you’ll be able to really settle in and appreciate this incredible view.
Here, you’ll find the world’s largest collection of research telescopes, along with 2 of those that took the first photo of a black hole! Everyone will get to use a Celestron telescope to check out the amazing star views! Enjoy some hot chocolate and snacks as you watch the celestial wonders above you.
You’ll surely want to commemorate this moment, and what a better way than to have photos taken of you by a professional DSLR camera? The photos will be emailed to you afterward, displaying you against the starry sky!
More Information & Tour Booking
100% refund for cancellations within 24 hours of tour experience
Other Experiences You May Enjoy:
2. Best Family Tour: Mauna Kea Stargazing Experience + Photos
- Duration: 2 hours
- Departure: Mauna Kea Forest Reserve , 44-5400 Daniel K. Inouye Hwy, Waimea
- Departure Time: 9:30 PM
- Includes: All activities, professional photographer guide, parka jackets, complimentary medium resolution photos
Perhaps you like the idea of going to check out the magnificent luminous sky from the Mauna Kea summit, but don’t want to spend that much time up there. Maybe you have a packed schedule that won’t allow for it?
If so, we highly recommend the Mauna Kea Stargazing Experience + Photos that lasts 2 hours. You’ll start off by meeting up with your guide, where they’ll tell you about the area and what to expect.
This is a tour that’s recommended for people who have a moderate physical fitness level, and we highly recommend bringing warm clothing that you can comfortably “work out” in.
While they will provide you with warm parka jackets, it’s always best if you have something you know fits you well. Your guide will select a route depending on the weather conditions, that will offer you the best views possible.
You’ll be accompanied by an Analog-Astronaut and professional photographer guide who knows this area like the back of their hand.
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Not only that, but they’ll tell you all about the galaxies, stars, and constellations in the sky. With a small group size maxing out at 12 travelers, you can ask them any questions you have.
We found the guide to be incredibly patient and knowledgeable, offering so much interesting historical information about the cultural relevance, geology, and the history of the volcano. There are blankets so you can lay on the ground and look up at the sky without craning your neck for a couple of hours.
The guide also takes incredible photos of you with the starry skies in the background, which turn out like some sort of masterpiece! Afterward, they’ll send you the photos via email later on so you can have them framed or share on social media.
More Information & Tour Booking
100% refund for cancellations within 24 hours of tour experience
3. Best Full Day Tour: Best Mauna Kea Summit Tour (Free sunset and star photo!)
- Duration: 8 hours
- Departure: Variety of locations available
- Departure Time: 2:15 PM
- Includes: Dinner, bottled water, snow parka, ski pants, gloves, admission fee for Mauna Kea 4×4 passenger van, expert tour guide, DSLR camera photo, astronomical telescope
Next up, we bring you yet another highly-rated, 8-hour tour to the top of Mauna Kea. This is one of the most mind-blowing places to see the stars in the entire world, and for the best views we highly recommend checking out the Best Mauna Kea Summit Tour!
With complimentary sunset and star photos taken by your professional guide, you’ll have something to share with everyone else as well! The tour will pick you and the rest of your group up from the Target in Kona, though the time will vary depending on which time of year you go.
As you travel towards Mauna Kea, your guide will get acquainted with everyone and begin telling you some interesting facts about the volcano and how it is considered a holy place of worship.
Make sure you bring warm clothes that you can hike in, as well as comfortable shoes with a good grip/tread on them so you can more efficiently climb up the volcano.
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Make a much-welcomed stop at the Onizuka Astronomy Complex, where you’ll check out their Visitor Center at an altitude of 9,000 feet. This is also crucial, to help everyone get acclimated to the altitude.
At this point, you’ll start to notice it getting a bit colder, so you can change into your warmer clothes. The gift shop here has some pretty cool stuff, so make sure to see their offerings, as well! If everyone would like, you can have an early dinner here and make sure to hydrate.
Next continue on your hike to the Mauna Kea summit, at an altitude of an impressive 13,796 feet! Here, you’ll see the beautiful observatory where you can explore, and see the sunset from one of the highest peaks in the world.
After the sun goes down, start gazing at the stars with their refractor telescope and razor pointer. The guide does an amazing job of explaining the constellations, planets, and stars that you will witness here.
They’ll also take marvelous photos of you with a professional camera, emailing these beautiful snaps afterwards.
More Information & Tour Booking
100% refund for cancellations within 24 hours of tour experience
4. Best Sightseeing Tour: Maunakea Stellar Explorer From HILO
- Duration: 7 hours
- Departure: 93 Banyan Dr, Hilo
- Departure Time: 3:30 pm
- Includes: Bottled water, professional guide, hotel pickup and drop-off, coffee and/or tea, dinner
While Hawaii has a ton of fascinating places to offer on land, it also has prime stargazing to admire! The Maunakea Stellar Explorer HILO is a 7-hour tour that will take you through beautiful water phenomenons, lava tubes, volcano summits, and much more!
If you want an action-packed Hawaiian adventure that encompasses a ton of different fascinating places this is it! We loved that this tour includes a complimentary hotel pickup so you don’t have to plan extra time and budget to get to your meetup spot.
Transportation is comfortable and climate-controlled so you don’t have to worry about being too cold or hot and humid. Start off in the charming little Hilo town, where your guide will start telling you all about the area and the stunning Rainbow Falls.
This famous waterfall looks like something from a storybook! The twin waterfall system stands at a whopping 80 feet tall, and if the time is right you’ll get to see the rainbow around them!
Head up the Wailuku River – the second-largest river in Hawaii. The route along here is gorgeous, and is anything but boring. Also known as Pe’epe’e Falls, you’ll eventually come across the Boiling Pots river feature.
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Shaped by erosion and lava formations over time, it creates a pool of turbulent water that looks like it’s boiling. You can grab some impressive photos here!
Next, you’ll see the Kaumana Caves which is a section of the enormous lava tube system that transported lava 1.5 miles from Hilo-town in the late 1800s! Go inside to experience the high, cathedral-like ceilings before resting to enjoy a picnic lunch on top of them!
As the sun starts to go down a bit, your guide will take you to one of the best locations on Mauna Kea for stargazing at night. This will depend on the weather conditions, and they’ll let you see the sky, stars, and planets through their large aperture Dobsonian telescope.
Then go across Saddle Road located between both Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa which are two of the biggest volcanoes on the planet. Your guide will offer a fascinating narration on the different lava flows, environment, and wildlife found here.
They’ll set up a top-notch telescope so you can watch vibrant solar flares, sunspots, and more!
More Information & Tour Booking
100% refund for cancellations within 24 hours of tour experience
5. Best Small Group Tour: Mauna Kea Summit and Stars Small-Group Adventure Tour
- Duration: 8 hours
- Departure: Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Departure Time: Contact tour operator
- Includes: Guide, hooded parkas and gloves, hot picnic dinner, hot cocoa and cookies, private star show with telescope, local taxes
Sometimes bigger groups mean bigger fun, and this definitely holds true with the Mauna Kea Summit and Stars Small-Group Adventure Tour. While it says “small-group” in the title, they take up to 29 passengers, which is one of the biggest we’ve seen.
It offers camaraderie while seeing these incredible places and even a delicious picnic! The tour does offer hotel pickup, so all you have to do is meet them in your hotel lobby ready with some comfortable walking shoes and clothing!
Board the 4×4 luxury van and get settled in while your guide tells you and your group about the area’s history, geology, flora and fauna, and more. We found the van to be very smooth and with ample leg room, making it that much more pleasant.
You’ll first stop at the Maunakea Visitor Information Station, where you’ll learn about Mauna Kea and its significance throughout history. Then, enjoy a hot picnic dinner where you’ll chat further and just enjoy the view before heading to the summit.
Make sure you’re wearing warm clothes as you’re going to head up above the clouds, all the way to the Mauna Kea Summit! Once you arrive, you’ll all be able to take some time and relax! Enjoy a magnificent sunset from above the clouds while seeing the Pacific Ocean as well.
Once the sun sets, the group will travel to a lower elevation to keep everyone more comfortable. Here, they’ll share their 11” Celestron telescopes designed to see what seems like every star and planet in the sky!
More Information & Tour Booking
100% refund for cancellations within 24 hours of tour experience
FAQs About Star Gazing at Mauna Kea
Why is Mauna Kea So Good for Star Gazing?
What makes Mauna Kea so special for star gazing is its location above the clouds. As you ascend the mountain you leave behind the layer of moisture and pollution that often plagues the lower elevations. The air is thin and dry which makes for crystal clear skies and breathtaking views of the stars.
The altitude is not the only thing that makes Mauna Kea such a perfect location for astronomers. Being in the middle of the Pacific Ocean means that thousands of miles from any sources of light pollution. The isolation combined with the thin and dry air means that the night sky above Mauna Kea is one a very dark sky with clear air that doesn’t block the starlight.
Speaking from personal experience, the stars up there are something else! It’s like someone took a giant brush and painted the night sky with thousands upon thousands of twinkling lights.
Mauna Kea has several observatories, the two most noteworthy are the Keck Observatory and the Subaru Telescope. The observatories can take advantage of the mountain’s location and conditions to study the universe in detail that is not available in many other locations.
Can I Look Through a Telescope at Mauna Kea?
Yes you can look through a telescope at Mauna Kea, however access to the telescopes is highly restricted and requires planning and reservations. The telescopes on Mauna Kea are owned by universities and research institutions and not open to the general public.
There are a few ways for stargazing and to observe the night sky on Mauna Kea. One option is to visit the Onizuka Center for International Astronomy Visitor Information Station, which is located at an elevation of approximately 9,200 feet.
The center offers guided stargazing programs and exhibits that provide information about the telescopes and research being conducted on Mauna Kea.
Your best option is to participate in a stargazing tour, which is as you can image is a very popular activity! There are several tour companies that offer stargazing tours on Mauna Kea, which include transportation to the summit and access to telescope.
See our favorite tours above!
These tours usually require reservations in well in advance and may have age restrictions or other requirements.
Can You Drive to the Mauna Kea Summit?
Yes you can drive to the Mauna Kea summit. The road up to the summit is unpaved and steep with switchbacks and sharp turns. Not to mention the terrain is rocky so you need to have a four-wheel drive vehicle and be prepared for challenging driving conditions.
You should also know the altitude can give many people altitude sickness. As you ascend the mountain the air gets thinner and some people may experience headaches, nausea or other symptoms of altitude sickness.
Be sure you know the restrictions and guidelines when driving to the Mauna Kea summit.
Will Car Rental Agencies Let You Take a Car to the Mauna Kea Summit?
Some car rental agencies on the Big Island of Hawaii allow their vehicles to be driven up to the Mauna Kea Visitor Information Station. You must check with the specific rental car agency you plan to use as many have restrictions or may not permit their vehicles to be driven up there.
The summit road is not paved so you need to have a four-wheel drive vehicle. If you do plan to drive a rental car to the Mauna Kea you need to check the rental agreement for any restrictions or additional fees that may apply. You may be required to buy additional insurance.
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The Sunset Stargazing Adventure at Mauna Kea Summit is our Editors Choice for the best stargazing summit tour at Mauna Kea
