Mauna Kea Stargazing
Mauna Kea Sunset
A Couple at Mauna Kea Summit
Mauna Kea Sunset

The most epic experience on Hawaii’s Big Island

The breathtaking view you'll never forget

Watch an amazing Sunrise/Sunset from the summit of Mauna Kea, nearly 14,000 ft. above the Pacific Ocean. Located in the center of Hawai’i Island, Mauna Kea has an unobstructed view of the horizon and offers a breathtaking vista that is hard to match. This view, coupled with its famous clear skies and dry crisp air, creates the perfect condition for absolutely stunning scenery.

My God, it's full of stars!

Mauna Kea is also known as one of the best stargazing spots in the world for its air clarity and total darkness. Our tours include ample time to explore the amazing star-filled night sky from where ancient Hawaiians believed the earth meets the universe.

Tour Details

TourMauna Kea Sunset & Stars TourMauna Kea Sunrise & Stars Tour
Price$265 (plus tax & fees)$265 (plus tax & fees)
Age Restriction13-84*13-84*
AvailabilityDaily (weather permitting)Non-scheduled
Minimum Participants3**3**
Maximum Occupancy Per Vehicle1212
Departure TimeEarly afternoon
(time varies with season)
After midnight
(time varies with season)
Returning TimeLate night
(time varies with season)
Early morning
(time varies with season)
Tour Duration7-8 hours7-8 hours
Time Spent at the SummitApprox. 1hr during sunsetApprox. 1hr during sunrise
StargazingApprox. 1hr guided with computerized telescopeApprox. 30min unguided (no telescope)
Gear ProvidedHeavy-duty hooded parkaHeavy-duty hooded parka
Food ProvidedLight snacks and hot chocolateLight snacks and hot chocolate
Vehicle4×4 passenger van4×4 passenger van

Please note;

  • Our tours do not include meals. We provide light snacks and you are welcome to bring your own.
  • Please bring warm clothes to wear under the provided parka. Read the FAQ to learn more about our Mauna Kea Tours.
  • We strongly encourage you to bring water. Drinking water will reduce the risk of altitude sickness.
  • You will be standing outside for roughly an hour while stargazing. If you have difficulty standing, please let us know in advance.
  • Gratuity is not included in the tour price but tips are greatly appreciated.

*Children 12 or younger are not allowed on our tours due to the high altitude. Seniors 85 or older may only participate in our Private Charter Tours for our guides to be more attentive to their health during the tour.
**If the number of participants does not reach 3 by 24 hours before the tour departs, the tour will be canceled. Customers who have already applied will have the option to pay the difference to avoid cancellation.

FAQ

3 convenient locations to catch your tour van

We provide 3 convenient pickup points in Kailua-Kona, Waikoloa Beach Resort, and Onizuka Visitor Center. Select an ideal location according to where you are staying or your activity of the day.

Don’t have a car? Or just don’t feel like driving? No worries! We can pick you up at major hotels and condos on the west side of the island. (Subject to an additional fee)

Learn More

E Ola Mauna Kea

Mauna Kea is one of the most sacred sites for native Hawaiians and the Hawaiian culture. We are dedicated to promoting a deep appreciation of and respect for the natural beauty, culture, people, and history of Mauna Kea and Hawaiʻi Island. E Ola Mauna Kea – Let Mauna Kea Live!

We continue to receive and pass on the traditional teachings of Kumu Kaela Ching, our exclusive advisor to the Hawaiian culture.

Kumu Keala Ching
Kumu Keala Ching

Javier M
Javier M
May 30, 2023.
Unforgettable stargazing and sunset experience This experience is one that I HIGHLY recommend to anyone coming to the Big Island! Our tour guide John was absolutely amazing in every sense of the word. He was very friendly, funny, kind, and just took care of our entire group so well. He is a phenomenal driver and an even more phenomenal person. The tour itself is stunning! You go to the top of the tallest dormant volcano of all the islands, and have an experience like no other. You get to see all of 12 different observatories at the top of the summit, the most incredible sunset and even more incredible stars at night. Again, our tour guide, John, was so knowledgeable about the stars and all the constellations. He pointed out everything that we saw in the sky and taught us about the constellations, their distances from the earth, and so much more. I highly recommended downloading a stargazing app on your phone also before going because that was cool to use! HUGE BONUS: the tour company provides you a super nice bag filled with goodies! We received bottles of water, chips, cookies, macadamia nuts, and even hot chocolate to drink when we were watching the stars! HIGHLY recommend bringing lots of warm clothes because it was extremely cold at the top! But the company also provides giant warm parkas to everyone, so that helped keep us warm as well! This experience is one my wife and I will never forget. Overall, give this experience a 10 out of 10. This is a MUST DO on Big island, and you MUST do it with this company!
Tracy N
Tracy N
May 7, 2023.
Amazing tour! Definitely a must-do in Big Island. Our tour guide, Shin, was very professional and super friendly. He took us to the best spots to see the sunset and stars (with a telescope!), explained each place and star in details, and even helped us take incredible pictures as well. The whole tour took about 5 hours but it didn’t feel long at all as we were provided with some snacks and hot chocolate along the way. I highly recommended Taikobo Hawaii for the sunset and stargazing tour.
camille r
camille r
May 4, 2023.
Amazing This trip is worth every penny. A truly memorable, emotional and beautiful trip to the summit (without the hassle of driving!) Our tour guide, John, was informative, kept us safe and gave us a detailed description of the night sky. Transport van was roomy, clean and comfortable. Would go again in a heartbeat.
Yuta U
Yuta U
April 24, 2023.
また参加したいマウナケア山頂からの夕日と天体観測のツアーでした 日本人にとっては若干高価なツアーでしたが、ここでしか体験できないサンセットと星空観測ができ、大変満足しています。ガイドのShinさんはとても気の利く方で、終始大変丁寧に、そしてユーモラスに説明してくださいました。彼のガイド抜きには満足できていなかったです。ただ観光客向けの説明をするだけでなく、展望台や天体に関する知識や、ハワイの原住民の話など、様々な側面からわかりやすく説明いただけました。私たち2人が参加したツアーは他の参加者5名は米国または英語を得意とする方々でしたので、Shinさんの説明のほとんどが英語でした(私たちだけに話される時や、星座の説明などは日本語でした)。ですが、Shinさんは英語もややゆっくり話してくださいましたので、一部の用語以外はだいたい聞き取れました。配慮してくださいますので心配不要です。唯一気になる点は、車内の音響設備です。Shinさんが若干使いづらそうにしていましたし、マイクやスピーカーの音質もイマイチでした。使いやすいものに更新されても良いかもしれません。同じツアーにはアメリカ本土から来られたやや年配のご夫婦も参加されていました(彼らは昨年に続き今年も参加されたリピーターでした)。機会がありましたら、私たちもいずれまた参加させていただければと思っています。
ゆきこ
ゆきこ
April 1, 2023.
[日本語]マウナケア山頂Sunsetツアー 日本語のマウナケア山頂Sunsetツアーを限定催行されると知り、すぐに申し込みをしました。コロナ禍に日本語ツアーはほぼ無くなってしまったので、限定ではありますが復活してとても嬉しいです。ツアーは、滞在先への送迎があり大変助かりました。ガイドのshinさんは運転もお話もとても上手で、バンも快適でした。マウナケア山頂では数箇所で撮影時間を取ってくださり、色々な角度からの景色を撮影できました。山頂には雪が残り、言葉では説明出来ないくらい素晴らしかったです。気温も0℃くらいでしたが、上着を貸してくださるので問題ありません。英語のツアーでもマウナケア山頂には行けますが、健康面への配慮などが特に必要な場所なので、英語に自信が無い場合は日本語のツアーを強くオススメします。星空観察では高性能の望遠鏡で星を見せてくださいます。仮に星が見えない場合でも、星座の説明などを聞くことができます。
Sightsee66007131908
Sightsee66007131908
March 29, 2023.
Loved our tour guide The tour started at the Queens market place. John picked us up right on time. He gave us a bag with hawaiian treats, a bottle of water and hot coco mix with a cup. We then headed to the visitor center and along the way, he explained our itinerary in detail. When we got to the visitor center, stayed for about an hour to get used to the high altitude. We drove on unpacked road for 7miles or so and got to where all the telescopes are and learned about them. Then we got to the spot where we wait for the sunset. When my 13 year old daughter got sick, he prepared oxygen tank for her. She felt much better after that. John was very calm and kind all through out the trip. After the sunset, we got down to the visitor center area for star gazing. It was a very cloudy night and couldn’t see too many stars. But we saw this amazing ring of light reflection around the moon that nobody in our group including John had seen. Although the condition was not the best, John taught us how to read stars and showed us few constellations that we could see. He is very knowledgeable in hawaiian culture and stars etc. He brought out his computerized telescope and we saw the surface of the moon! Weather was not cooperating but overall trip was good and we were happy.
WillBike11
WillBike11
March 23, 2023.
Unique and amazing We had a great trip up Mauna Kea with our guide John. While our teen daughters were skeptical at first, they were amazed by the views from the summit (not to mention the snow!) and the John did a great job with stargazing too. Would recommend this to anyone visiting the Big Island.
Earnest M
Earnest M
March 21, 2023.
Best experience in kona The entire tour is 5 star. John was our guide. He is nice, courteous, knowledgeable and polite. The ideal professional and excellent driver.
Andrea D
Andrea D
March 17, 2023.
Enjoyed it The tour was enjoyable and well worth the price. John was our guide and was informative, organized and friendly. Highly recommend
Kristen K
Kristen K
March 16, 2023.
Hands down the best!! This was hands down the highlight of our two weeks in Hawaii. Our guides, John and Emmy, were amazing. Emmy especially went above and beyond for us. She is such an adventurous soul and you can tell she truly loves her job. She gave us a great history of Hawaii and the mountain. Snacks and comfortable transportation was provided and looking through the telescope was so cool. This tour was absolutely perfect. Thank you, Emmy!

Tours operated by Taikobo Hawaii, Inc.

Taikobo Hawaii, Inc. has been providing guided tours to the summit of Mauna Kea since 1983 as well as other famous tourist destinations on the Big Island of Hawaii. We are one of the few companies that are officially authorized by Center for Maunakea Stewardship (part of the University of Hawaii at Hilo) to conduct commercial tours in this Hawaiian sanctuary.

We are dedicated to promoting a deep appreciation and respect for the natural beauty, culture, and history of the Big Island of Hawaii and the Hawaiian People by providing a variety of safe, enjoyable, and educational tours to visitors from all over the world, and by focusing company resources on the development of hospitable and knowledgeable guides and safe and comfortable tour vehicles.

https://taikobo.com
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