One of the must have experiences if you visit the Big Island. Sunset and star gazing on Mauna Kea is a not soon to be forgotten experience. If you can, ask to go with Justin Potter an extremely knowledgeable and personable guide. Dress warm and heed the safety instructions. The air is cold and thin over 13,000 feet! The meal provided was filling and delicious. Our only hesitancy in rating the tour 5 stars is the cost is fairly steep and the tour bus was showing it's age.

Fantastic views from the top... Great guide super friendly and shared a wealth of knowledge! Dinner was good and the hot chocolate and brownies topped off the star gazing! Would definitely recommend this tour. The parkas provided kept us warm, but recommend bringing some gloves...

My high rating is mainly because the tour guide, Heraldo, was exceptional. He was extremely knowledgeable about all aspects of the tour: geography, history, culture and astronomy. He truly enjoys his work and it shows.

Incredible experience. If you can only spend money on one purchased tour on the Big Island this has to be it. Guides were very helpful the views are incredible and after sunset the stars are more amazing than words can describe. Our guide, Jason, was a lot of fun. One item - it is cold up there! The parkas we were provided were very helpful. Just expect a very different climate at 13,000+ elevation!

Jason, our host, was extremely knowledgeable and helpful making sure we were comfortable with the elevation gain. His in-depth explanations of the history of Hawaii as well as astronomy kept the trip very interesting.

I am a first time visitor to Hawaii and with little time booked this tour conducted by Hawaii Forest n Trail.i had to hire a taxi to reach their place outside Kona The tour was well organized and our tour guide Jeff impressed me from the word go. We had an early dinner before the Mauna Kea climb which was so nicely arranged .Theyhad gloves and warm clothing for everyone since it was pretty cold up the mountain.Jeff was a nonstop tallker knowledgeable witty n very helpful. He made the tour so enjoyable.The highlight of this tour is the stargazing activity. Since it was a moonless night the sky was brilliant and Jeff was absolutely delightful explaining astronomy and the galaxy so well Anso.utely recommended

Our tour with Jeff was unbelievable he couldn't have been more knowledgeable friendly delicious dinner Indescribable sunset and stars overall just a wonderful experience.

This was an amazing evening. Definitely chilly and would recommend warm clothes, including bottoms and socks/uggs. The star show was amazing and Justin did an amazing job as our tour guide and was very informative.

The most amazing thing we have seen our guide Heraldo was extremely knowledgeable. We had a welcoming dinner so we could get to know each other and acclimatise at 9,000 feet. The tour was respectful and considerate of the environment at all times. It did require some effort to breathe at 14,000 feet but Heraldo provided excellent guidance and practical advice. We would highly recommend this trip.

The trip to Mauna Kea was absolutely beautiful and interesting. Our guide Taj was he best!. He is very knowledgeable about the history and culture. The stop at he sheep ranch where we had our lunch was very interesting. It also helped to get acclimated to the altitude. The observatory was amazing as well as looking at the stars. It also got pretty cold up at 14,,000 ft. Those jackets were definitely a must!
This trip was really terrific!