Verified
Excellent trip to the Summit
We finally got to go to the summit of Mauna Kea- the roads had been closed for about a week due to bad weather. We were lucky to get last minute seats on MuanaKea sunset tour- Emmy was awesome with all her prompt responses and great guidance. John was an amazing guide - it was about an hour drive to the Onizuka Visitor center and John gave a great commentary all the way. We were at the visitor center to acclimatize - pl chk out the visitor center and trails . The drive to the summit was quite good considering the fact that at least 4 of the 8 miles were unpacked . We watched an amazing sunset and John brought us to a place near the visitor center for star gazing - a mind blowing experience -John pointed out different constellations, stars, nebula and showed us thro his telescope - Saturn in its full glory with all its rings, Jupiter and its moons, Milky Way, peak into Andro meda galaxy- dream come true for my family . Highly highly recommend this tour!
Verified
Fantastic experience and great tour guide!
The misses and I had this planned as the first thing to do while on our 3.5 week holiday through Hawaii.We arrived earlier as described in the email after you book your appointment.Shin the tourguide is a great person and tells you a lot throughout the trip to the mountain.From arriving up to the summit until the stargazing moment. Shin is always telling you many things.We loved watching the sunset and the stargazing and it was an experience of a lifetime. If you want to do this book with Taikobo because we loved the experience and the kind people that assist you during the ride etc.Do not miss out on this! And thank you Shin for a great time!
Verified
Amazing!
If you want to stand on the top of the world, this is a great tour to take. Our host/guide made it fun, and relaxing all the way to the top and back down. It was great to have him treat us to a chant as we stood near the summit of Mauna Kea. The sunset was beautiful in spite of the clouds. We did go on a full moon night because we could not go at any other time. Yoshi, was very helpful when she explained that we would not get to experience the spectacular night sky because the full moon would take away from the experience. It didn’t take away from the experience because the trip to the summit was just spectacular, and Yoshi and John made the trip very memorable. Thanks!
Verified
Best tour company! Highly recommend!
This trip was better than expected from start to finish! Emmy was very helpful throughout the booking process to start. Then when we went on our tour, John provided us with an extensive amount of information ranging from cultural history, geology, to astronomy. We actually ended up being the only people in the group which was an added bonus! The top looks like another planet and is very cold but this company has the best jackets, all the other tour groups were jealous. We didnt have the best conditions for stargazing after the breathtaking sunset but even still, we were able to see saturns rings and the moons of Jupiter.
Verified
Book It
My husband and I were so pleased with our Mauna Kea Sunset/Star Gazing tour. Our guide, Shin, was so enthusiastic, attentive, and overall a pleasure to be around. We rode up to the Summit and were pleased with the amount of time we got at the top, the explanations of the telescopes, and the kind offer to take photos for us. As a couple, we don’t often get photos together and he made sure we got plenty. The star gazing was great! We were able to see Saturn AND its rings—so awesome. They provided snacks and hot chocolate which was a nice touch with the temps being so cold. The photos we received from our trip were very cool. Shin did such a nice job with them. The experience we had with this company was great. I would recommend booking your trip to the top of Mauna Kea with this company.
Verified
We are a picky family but this was absolutely perfect!
We booked this tour almost by picking a random company but what a great choice that was! Our guide and driver Shin was absolutely perfect from the beginning to the end. Shin was early at our meeting spot and had everything covered for the whole 8 hour tour. The website says that you should have a big lunch beforehand but, believe me, we are still finishing the snacks provided by them 2 days later, so I wouldn't be scared of dying from hunger or thirst during the trip. Shin took us through an amazing road where we felt we had travelled through Ireland, Texas, the desert and a tropical island in just an hour!Then came all the ascension of Mona Kea itself and that all happened in perfect conditions, with all the right explanations but not overbearing either. The sunset was as amazing as you would hope. The telescopes started opening as the night fell - a bucket list item for me. Then came the amazing star gazing part slightly before the summit. It got really cold but they do provide you with really thick coats and even hot chocolate! Shin then showed us how to find our way through the night sky and used his 8 inch wide telescope to show us planets and other celestial bodies before bringing us back to our hotel near Kona just after 10pm. If we had to mention just one point of attention it would be that Shin's accent could at times be harder to understand (he is originally from Japan but has been in the US for 20+ years) so if you are not fluent in English it may sometimes be difficult to understand him. But his smile and good mood more than compensate for it!Highly recommended.
Verified
It felt like we were not on the earth anymore
My husband and I took the Mauna Kea stargazing tour in the beginning of September. I wanted a romantic experience in the Big Island and this trip definitely delivered. Our tour guide Shin was an absolute delight and the tour members were very kind too. I was slightly nauseas as I didn't eat a lot before the trip and Shin provided a ginger candy which was extremely delicious and helpful. The experience during sunset was out of this world, as the sky and everything around turned pink. After that we were taken to the star gazing point where we could see stars but would have been even clearer if it was not a moonlit night. At that point someone was having elevation sickness and Shin was well equipped with oxygen cylinder to help him out with elevation sickness. We also got to spend time watching individual stars with the telescope that Shin brought with him. Shin offered to take photos of us and the other people on the tour at every scenic point. Thanks to him we have a lot of romantic pictures from the trip. One couple even decided to propose to each other, it surely seemed like the perfect moment. Shin took lots of pictures for them too. Additionally Shin gave us print outs of some really beautiful pictures he took on top of the Mauna Kea for us to take home as souvenirs. It was the best tour experience we ever had. Highly recommend.
Verified
Highly recommend for anyone vacationing on the big island
Top 5 excursions we have ever been on. The view of sunset from the top of Mauna Kea was epic and unlike anything i have seen before. On top of that, the view of stars was once in a lifetime, i have never seen such clear skies and so many stars with the naked eye. Our guide John was fantastic and helped connect us to the local culture surrounding the volcanos and the significance to the Hawaiian people. It helped align the views with importance of the volcano that provides them. To top it off, John brought a telescope so we could see planets and the constellations with greater detail. Can’t say enough good things about the service he provided. You can tell he went above what most other tours were doing and was there to ensure an excellent Experience for his guests. Yeah we’ll worth the money to not have to stress about the drive and just enjoy the views and experience.
Verified
Sunset and Stargazing
Shin was great! Took the time to take great photos of us. He was very kind and informative. The company has great respect for the mountain with a leave nothing behind but foot prints policy. We stayed on the mountain for stargazing longer than any other guided group! Hot chocolate was the perfect touch for a cold night. We saw several stars, Saturn, and Jupiter using their telescope. Shin also took great photos of everyone in front of the milky way using a special camera to capture it for us. Couldn’t recommend this company more!
Verified
Very unique experience
I knew what to expect on the tour but it was still majestic, picture do not due the views justice. Shin, our tour guide, was a well of information about the Hawaiian history and reverence of the mountain, geography and astronomy. Easy to get along with with happy to help take a photo when needed. He was highly organized and made the trip as pleasant as possible. He is really good at taking photos.
Verified
Great sunset and stargazing experience
We joined the Mauna Kea Sunset & Stars tour and recommend it highly. Our guide was very friendly and informative, and took all the time we needed both at the summit (for sunset) and at the stargazing area.Highly professional and recommended.
Verified
Highly memorable part of our Big Island honeymoon
John took us up to Mauna Kea for the sunset tour and it was truly memorable! He was highly knowledgeable about the volcano, the observatories at the summit and the astronomy as well. We had plenty of time for pictures at the stops and we were able to look through the telescope and learn about the stars. The parka, hot chocolate and yummy snacks were appreciated. The van was comfortable and a good temperature. Thanks John and Taikobo! I can’t recommend this tour enough.