Mauna Kea Summit Tour with Stargazing: Free Night Sky Photos

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Free cancellationTravelers' pick

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Duration8h

GroupUp to 12

LanguagesEN

Mobile ticketAccepted

Sunset at 13,796 feet, then stars through a telescope with photos to take home

An eight-hour Mauna Kea summit tour from Kailua-Kona includes sunset viewing at Hawaii's highest peak, stargazing with a refractor telescope afterward, and free DSLR photos of the stars and constellations your guide captures for you. Pickup starts at 2 p.m. from Target parking lot in Kona or Queens Market Place in Waikoloa; the tour includes a sandwich dinner, winter gear, and a 4x4 van ride to the summit. Guests must be between 16 and 75 years old and in moderate physical fitness.

Step-by-step itinerary

Mauna Kea summit tour and stargazing

Pick up guests from Kona and Waikoloa
Break at Onizuka Visitor Information Station
Watch sunset at Mauna Kea summit
Stargazing with telescope and laser pointer
Return to pick up locations

The Experience

The day starts with pickup from either Target's parking lot in Kailua-Kona or Queens Market Place in Waikoloa, depending on which you choose at checkout. You'll ride in a 4x4 passenger van toward the mountain, stopping first at the Onizuka Visitor Information Station at 9,000 feet for a break, an early dinner (BLT or vegan sandwich), and a chance to acclimate to the altitude. This is where you'll change into the winter gear—snow parka, ski pants, and gloves—that the tour provides.

From there, the van continues to the Mauna Kea summit at 13,796 feet, where you'll watch the sunset from the highest point in Hawaii while observing the observatories clustered at the peak. After sunset, your guide sets up a refractor telescope for stargazing and uses a laser pointer to walk you through constellations, stars, and planets visible that night. This is the part that makes the tour distinct: your guide photographs the night sky and you in it using a DSLR camera, then sends the images to your smartphone before the day ends—at no extra cost. Weather and moon phase affect visibility, and the stargazing location may shift depending on conditions.

The return trip to your pickup location takes you back down the mountain. The whole experience runs about eight hours from start to finish. Note that sunset and stargazing are not guaranteed in bad weather, and if anyone in the group develops altitude sickness or other issues, the time at the summit or stargazing spot may be shortened.

What’s included

Pickup from Target parking lot in Kona or Queens Market Place in Waikoloa.
4x4 van transport to the summit.
admission to Mauna Kea.
early dinner sandwich (BLT or vegan).
snow parka, ski pants, and gloves.
refractor telescope for stargazing.
free DSLR photos of the sunset and stars with you in them, delivered to your phone at the end of the tour.

Good to know

Moderate physical levelNot for pregnant travelersNot for heart conditionsNot for back problems

Operated by Hawaiian Eyes Tour

Is this one for you?Choose the Kailua-Kona pickup if you're staying on the west side; pick Queens Market Place if you're based in the Waikoloa resort area. The eight-hour window and fixed schedule mean the sunset and stargazing both fit into one evening without you arranging transport or timing separately, though bad weather or a full moon will affect what you see.