I had always wanted to experience this and booked the tour 2 months before going. I even made sure to plan the trip for when the moon was very small so as to get the full effect of the stars. However, I did not plan for an overcast night where we saw no stars at all and the sunset was pretty muted too. I still felt it was a worthwhile experience and the tour group driver/leader did a good job telling us about the history and workings of the observatory. We had a few disgruntled passengers who thought there should be a money-back guarantee that we would see the sunset and a star show, but from time of pick-up to time of drop-off they spent about 6 hours driving us around, providing a hot meal, giving us pointers on safety in the thin air and taking very good care of us. Yes, it was somewhat disappointing but it was not the tour operators fault
Review by: Edward M, July 2018
I know you have the sun, beach and surf. But this excursion will have you saying WOW. A nice trip up Mauna Kea, a dinner at 3000 feet, sunset viewing and then a look at the planets and stars. have you ever seen the rings of Saturn and the bands Jupiter? A beautiful night sky. Ranks as one of the BEST
Review by: Joseph G, July 2018
One of the most beautiful settings I've ever seen in my life. Absolutely amazing. Jeff, our guide, was extremely knowledgeable and a lot of fun.
Review by: Christine T, July 2018
We had a group of 6 adults on the tour and everyone had a wonderful time. Jeff (our tour guide) had fantastic knowledge of the Mauna Kea area as well as the island overall. Watching the clouds rolling through at sunset was magical and then heading down to another spot to stargaze was incredible. We saw more stars than we've ever seen in our lives, and we also got to see the glow of the Kilauea eruption in the distance. Jeff focused in on the lava flows with the telescope and it was so awesome. We also got to view the moon, Jupiter, Saturn and lots more through the telescope. We will never forget the experience, so thank you Jeff for doing such a great job in guiding us! I highly recommend this tour for anyone visiting the Big Island.
Review by: yoyo.lui2010, April 2018
The tour guide has forgotten his telescope, the group of 12 only managed to share a pair of binoculars. Some of us are not even familiar on how to use/adjust the binoculars.
Review by: nflatman, March 2018
The first part of our tour was amazing. The drive up to the summit was beautiful and the sunset was breathtaking. The star gazing was nice but dragged on for a really long time. Our guide was coughing the whole time and was clearly quite ill. This definitely detracted from the overall experience.
Review by: mickes2, February 2018
Hank our tour guide did a great job of narrative and explaining things. The weather was not good and thus we could not go to the summit or have great views of the stars. These were both disappointments and diminished the value of the trip. No discount or refund was offered, but the tour information was of much value.
Review by: r.a.cates, February 2018
We were very disappointed. The road to the summit was closed due to snow. I guess this happens 65 out of 365 days. Our tour guide, Joe was good and tried to bring us to other areas to see the sunset and stars but it was not the same thing. I would suggest that if you want to take this excursion not to do it during the winter.
Review by: tc1ds, January 2018
Awesome tour guide Hank was very informative and had a great sense of humor. Experience of watching the sunset above the clouds was amazing. Went to Hawaii for some warm weather but enjoyed seeing the snow on top og Mauna Kea. After sun set we could see the glow of the lava fields some 300 miles away at Kilauea.Spectatular views. Stargazing was a fun experience and the hot chocolate and brownies hit the spot. Thanks for a great adventure.
Review by: Louise W, January 2018
A must do on Big Island! We went on this tour with Hawaii Forest and Trail it was stunning! There are no words to describe the beauty of the stars and the mountains and the sunset we saw. All that and snow in Hawaii at Christmas. Perfect day with our amazing guide Jeff. Wrap up warm it's cold up there brrrrr
Review by: John E, January 2018
The tour guide Joe was great!
Review by: Leslie B, January 2018
How wonderful that Hank was available to treat us to an unforgettable anniversary! We were all in awe. The day was perfect, the lunch was simple and good. We couldn't believe we all got to witness the top of this snow covered mountain but Hank looked after our every need, the parkas and mittens were perfect. And yes, our family enjoyed the warm cocoa and chocolate brownies while we were mesmerized by the star show. Seeing the sunset on a mountain is something we'll never forget.
Review by: John C, January 2018
Great Experience! The whole trip was like a well-oiled machine. Our guide (Hank) was the best guide I’ve ever had for this sort of thing. He was very well informed about the volcanos, the night sky, and the history and culture of Hawaii. It was a fair amount of driving but well worth it.
Review by: Martin N, December 2017
Sehr gut organisierte Tour, bereits beim Empfang habe ich mich blendend mit der dortigen Mitarbeiterin unterhalten, der Guide war sehr erfahren und konnte viel erzählen. Die Verpflegung war gut und die Gruppengrösse sehr überschaubar. Zur Sicherheit wurde sogar Sauerstoff mitgeführt. Die zur Verfügung gestellten Parkas waren warm, es ist aber sicher zu empfehlen, sich entsprechend anzuziehen, da es auf den Bergen, sehr kalt werden kann. Die Aussicht vom Gipfel, bei Sonnenuntergang, war überwältigend. Fazit: Hervorragend, sehr zu empfehlen.
Review by: Enrique O, November 2017
Beautiful. We did feel a bit alone at some point. It is a long tour after all.
Review by: Ivette M, November 2017
Very well organized trip. The guide, Jeff, was very knowledgeable, patient and a nice guy over all. The whole experience was amazing and I highly recommended.
Review by: Gregory D, November 2017
This tour was amazing!
Review by: Kerryrose M, November 2017
This was one of the most amazing and exhilarating experiences that we have ever had... Just make sure that you bundle up, its cold!!_br/_ The hot chocolate and DELICIOUS brownies were a nice added touch! Would definitely do it again.
Review by: Philipp W, October 2017
Everything was perfect and well organized !!! Joe - our guide - was very good. We really enjoyed this trip. A big recommendation to do this tour with Hawaii Forest and Trail !!!
Review by: Richard V, October 2017
Wonderful and inspiring trip with an informative guide. One of the best Viator trips we have ever taken.
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