Book Direct with the Owner at Maunakea Stellar Explorer HILO with Accommodation Alabama in Big Island Of Hawaii, for all your Attraction and travel needs.
Itinerary4.4 based on 10 reviews
Our tour guide, Crystal was a wealth of knowledge and did an amazing job. We learned a lot about the history of astronomy, constellations, island history and culture, lava caves, native plants, animals, even native folk stories. Beautiful views over in Hilo.
Marcus the tour guide was the best thing in that tour. He is very pleasant and very knowledgeable about anything you can imagine, from astronomy to geology! As for the tour, it is practically 2 hrs of star gazing at attitude of 6300 at the parking lot of the public park right off the highway Visibility is not any better than any dark area on the beach. You can easily drive to the same park if you like, 45 miles from Kona. Very easy 50 minutes drive The dinner was a very basic $15 meal in a low cost restaurant. I would recommend that you take a tour that would take you to higher elevation or the top. You could easily rent a 4x4 car and drive to the top We spent 8 hour on this trip. I wish I read all the reviews before booking !!
****** You will NOT go to the top of Mauna Kea on this tour!! We didn’t know this. We thought we would be going to the observatory for the sunset and stargazing. They bring you as far as the Visitor Center and then across the street to star gaze. Aside for that, the tour was excellent! Our Tour Guide, Krystal was great! She is very engaging and a lot of fun. She definitely has a passion for what she does and it shines through in everything on this tour. They picked us up in Hilo at the hotel and from there she took us to a few sights around town. Talked about the past Tsunami’s that have hit the island and some history of both Hilo and the Big Island. We visited the Rainbow Falls, The Boiling Pots, and then we went onto hike inside of a Lava Tube. That was a very good and informative tour experience. It’s a rustic tube meaning we had to climb over large wet broken up lava rocks and boulders inside. They also provided us with flashlights so we can see as there are no lights inside the tube. No railings, be in good health and able to crawl, bend, walk, maneuver, twist, and walk on your own. Wear good hiking or sneakers/tennis shoes and loose clothing. The tube is wet and water does drip from the ceiling. It’s a great experience and a lot of fun. After that, we continued on up Mauna Kea Visitor Information Center where we had dinner, changed into warmer clothes, and watched the sunset. We then got into the van and went across the street where Krystal set up the telescopes and we began our star gazing. It was very informative and a lot of fun. They do supply jackets to help keep you warm and also had hot coffee, tea, and hot chocolate. Then continued looking at the stars and planets and learning many things about space. After this we packed up and headed back to the hotel. It was a great experience and would do it again.
A fantastic way to spend the day! First, Krystal our guide was exceptional. As a professional astronomer she taught us the nature of the universe. The life and death of a star. The creation of elements. Amazing!!! Galactic Cannibalism!! The highlight of the trip is the lava tubes. My 13 year ok’d daughter would spend all day exploring those caves if she could. Just fantastic. Also where we learned about lava tornadoes! With a new moon, and our trip up the mountain (7000 ft I think?) we saw more stars than I can comprehend. Planets, nebulae, galaxies oh my!!! Huge thanks to Krystal. Excellent tour.
I’ve never seen so many stars in my life. What an experience. Definitely heed the warning for warm clothes, it’s a bit chilly - but totally worth it. The other parts of the tour were great as well - particularly the lava tube - but the star gazing was the highlight. Crystal (our guide) was very knowledgeable, energetic and thoughtful. Wonderful experience all around!
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