Mauna Kea Arnott's Adventures

Big Island of Hawaii, USA

7 hours
Pickup offered
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Discover Hawaii's highest point as you trek up to the 13,803-foot (4,207.3-meter) summit of Mauna Kea. Travel by road to the Onizuka Astronomy Complex, then enjoy a scenic guided hike to the summit, passing international telescopes and panoramic viewpoints. Arrive at the top of the volcano in time to watch the sunset, then return to Onizuka for a guided star-gazing experience (no telescopes provided).

Magnificent views as you watch the sunset from Hawaii's highest point
Enjoy stargazing with a laser pointer at the Onizuka Astronomy Complex
Hassle-free pickup and drop-off at your Hilo hotel
Intimate small-group experience with a maximum of 13 people

What's Included

All Fees and Taxes
Jacket

Dinner
Telescopes

Meeting and Pickup

You can head directly to your preferred meeting point, or request pickup.

Meeting points

Select a meeting point

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Pickup points

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Start time

02:30 PM

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Pickup details

Our Mauna Kea Tour begins in HILO only meets guests in Hilo or at the Onizuka Visitor Center on Mauna Kea. We DO NOT pick up guests from Kona, Waikoloa, any hotels on the west-most side of the Big Island, or any cities other than HILO on the east-most side of the Big Island.

What To Expect

Rainbow Falls

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Onizuka Astronomy Complex

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Mauna Kea

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Onizuka Astronomy Complex

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Service animals allowed
Not recommended for travelers with back problems
Not recommended for pregnant travelers
No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Travelers should have a strong physical fitness level

Age minimum 13 years old
Not recommended to guests that have scuba dived in the last 24 hours.
Not recommended for travelers with respiratory conditions
Not recommended to consume intoxicants during or directly before this tour
Not recommended to consume carbonated beverages during or directly before this tour
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 13 travelers

Cancellation Policy

This experience is non-refundable and cannot be changed for any reason. If you cancel or ask for an amendment, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.

This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Reviews

5.0

104 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

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Showing 1-10 of 104 reviews

Most amazing experience on the Big Island.

Jari_L, Apr 2024

Most amazing sunset I’ve ever seen and as a pilot that’s saying alot.!!! Stargazing was equally awesome and our tour guide was super knowledgeable. Very informative and interesting. Highly recommended!!!!👍🤙

if you want to feel ontop of the world - do it :)

leah_d, Apr 2024

It was great the tiny group of 7 people, the stops, the tour guide with knowledge and so beautiful!! very grateful I was able to go on this tour :)

Very experienced and comfortable!

AKANE_A, Apr 2024

Our guide was knowledgeable and punctual. He was very clear what to expect next xx miles or where and what we do next. Constellation guide by using the pointer was so great too! A day before, we experienced the constellation at the planetarium, Imiloa center but our guide’s live show was so real and imaginary! Very special moment was provided… We were able to see‘Subaru’. Thank you.

Superb

Scott_E, Apr 2024

Absolutely incredible. One of the most memorable moments of my life and made even better by a great guide.

Like traveling to another planet

Anjali_S, Apr 2024

It was such a Great experience. I can only recommend it. The guide was very good. I got picked up from the hotel. We even stopped at the beautiful Rainbowfalls. I learned many new things and the view was absolutely out of this world. The star gazing was amazing to.

A fabulous adventure full of surprises!

Novia_W, Mar 2024

One of the most memorable tour we took in the big island! Donna is a friendly, energetic, and knowledgeable guide, and she’s also a great driver at the same time! She made this trip so much easier and more enjoyable for us, by sharing all the fun facts of the island and the astrology knowledge. 100/10!

Gorgeous sunset above clouds experience

Ryan_O, Feb 2024

Great tour led by Donna who has unlimited knowledge, energy and spirit. Fantastic sunset above clouds and great knowledge of the stars for stargazing. Highly recommend

If possibly try to go during a darker phase of the moon, but our guide did an excellent job!

Sonja_D, Feb 2024

If possibly try to go during a darker phase of the moon, but our guide did an excellent job; he was very respectful and informative about the local issues surrounding the observatory. Bring a sandwich, it’s a long trip, and a pair of warm pants. It can get very very cool on top out of the sun. The trip back was dark and quiet which was nice.

Top of The World

Michael_T, Feb 2024

Truly amazing experience to be on top of Mount Kea. Due to high winds, the rangers shut the top down shortly after arriving, but our guide made sure we had a great spot to see the sunset near the visitors center and even took us to a private location for star gazing. He was super knowledgable.

Our tour guide, Andras,...

Eli_N, Jan 2024

Our tour guide, Andras, was awesome! Even though a storm system clouded the summit, we were still able to make up for it with a stargazing experience elsewhere.

Cancelled because of snow and ice

Penny_C, Dec 2023

It was cancelled due to bad weather and icy roads. I am glad they put safety first. I will go through this company again as I did use them for 2 other awesome tours.

Top of the world

HergenHerbert_S, Sep 2023

Andras did a great job showing us scenic views and the stars. Great driving anyway! :) :):):):):):):):):):):):)

Amazing!

Belinda_L, Sep 2023

Beautiful views from the summit of the sunset and the stars! Donna was great! She was not only our guide but also our photographer. The jackets provided by the company were very much needed and appreciated. Thanks for an unforgettable experience!

Excellent Summit and Stargazing Tour with a Great Guide

MaryEllen_V, Sep 2023

This was our second sunset tour to the summit of Mauna Kea and by far a superior tour in terms of the depth of knowledge of our guide from Arnott’s, Andras, and his excellent presentation. We also made more stops along the way up the mountain, for example stopping at the VBLA radio telescopes, and the stop before the summit itself which our last tour in 2017 with a different company did not do. Our stargazing excursion after the summit sunset viewing was also superb with the moonrise complementing the experience. Andras has the perfect personality for a tour guide in terms of his manner and exuberance for the topic, as well as his breadth of knowledge that he’s able to compact into short presentations for a tour of this nature. We don’t know what his background was prior to doing tours in Hawaii (as he is from Europe), but he’s certainly well-educated and well versed in the science and astronomical information needed to make this tour come to life. Kudos to Arnott’s, we’re glad we chose this company this time!

Did this even really happen?

Justianna_K, Aug 2023

Absolutely incredible sunset with a view of Maui's Haleakala from the peak of the incredible Mauna Kea. Our tour guide, David, was friendly, kind, and exceptionally knowledgeable. He gave us an amazing star show after sunset that blew our minds. This is an incredible experience that should not be missed. Don't forget to request a jacket!!

Arnott's Picks You Up in Hilo at your hotel. Very wonderful experience.

Lora_G, Aug 2023

I chose this company because I wanted to be picked up in Hilo at our hotel. I did not want to drive up to Mauna Kea. I don't think it is a very good idea to drive up there if you intend to try to make it to the top. You will need a four wheel drive to do so and you need to know not to ride your brake down or it will overheat. Our tour guide was Ernz (sp?). He was great. Very knowlegable and he made sure we were all safe and acclimated well with the high altitude. He had a special place to park when everyone else had to go down the mountain. We got to see the stars and learn about them from him. Please make sure you ask to reserve a coat with them ahead of time, because it was very cold up there. We brought gloves and we were glad that we did.

Amazing

Tristan_D, Jun 2023

This was an excellent experience. The views and sunset were amazing and so many stars, all topped off by the glow of Kileau erupting in the distance. The guide was great: knowledgeable and super friendly

An amazing experience....

Jakob_P, May 2023

An amazing experience. Our guide Donna was very knowledgeable and did a great job telling us about Mauna Kea, hawaiian culture and the Island.

Consider this “budget” option

ChiaLing_H, Apr 2023

Much less covered compared to other tours - no hot drinks, no dinner, the jacket they provide is thin, and seats were packed. More than half the group were unprepared for the weather at the summit, and the guide kept repeating “they should have been informed to bring layers”, “it’s a special day and it’s cold”and suggests using the van as shelter. Not saying it’s a wrong thing to say, but I definitely felt like there’s gotta be better ways to address this on the set. Compared to other tours this is like budget airline vs regular airlines - expect the minimum in exchange of a low price, so you won’t be disappointed.

Spectacular

Margaret_P, Mar 2023

Amazing experience ! Great tour with spectacular views, even got to see snow! Knowledgeable tour guide.