Maunakea Stellar Explorer HILO: A Multifaceted Space Exploration Tour in Hawaii

Embark on a thrilling space exploration tour in Hawaii with Maunakea Stellar Explorer HILO. Experience nighttime astronomical observing and safe daytime solar viewing with expert guides.

Duration: 7 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Rainbow Falls - Start your adventure in quaint Hilo town where you’ll drive along the historic waterfront before arriving at Rainbow Falls. This iconic waterfall right off a postcard features an 80 foot tall twin waterfall system. Look for the rainbow effect that gives the waterfall its name!
What's Included
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
  • Professional guide
  • Bottled water
  • Dinner
  • Beverages
  • Tea and coffee
What's Not Included
  • Gratuities
Additional Information

For an exceptional celestial journey, try Maunakea Stellar Explorer powered by KapohoKine Adventures. This exhilarating experience is the sole Big Island celestial tour offering nocturnal star observation AND daytime solar inspection that’s open to everyone! Our expert astronomy guides are unrivaled in Hawaii, with one even establishing the Mauna Kea…

Location
93 Banyan Dr
Banyan Drive
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.4
(95 Ratings)
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Patrick_k
Jul 15, 2025
Amazing tour - Amazing experience. Rich was great as our guide. Very knowledgeable. Kept us entertained the whole time. Whole tour was great but seeing the stars was breath-taking. Rich pointed out many constellations and showed us nebula and galaxies. I would highly appreciate
Review provided by Viator
Devin_c
Jul 11, 2025
Breath taking viewing of a lifetime! - The most magical and unreal experience! We had the best guide, Henry, who was super knowledgeable, friendly, and a great guide. He made extra time to go to lots of stops along the way up to the viewing point and we had the best spot for viewing. We went on a full moon and still saws hundreds of stars and constellations! Henry did amazing at getting us the best views both with and without the telescope and even got us some stunning pictures of the full moon through the telescope! The parkas, snacks, and hot drinks were all an extra bonus! Would 1000000% do again!
Review provided by Viator
Melina_w
Jul 10, 2025
Wonderful experience - It was great! Beautiful site seeing on the way to the mountains. Very entertaining and kind tourguide for kids and adults alike. Interesting facts and stories about the area and the night sky.
Review provided by Viator
Robin_l
Jun 26, 2025
Starry Nights! - Eric was our guide for this adventure. We had a fantastic night seeing some sights around Hilo prior to exploring the stars. Eric was very knowledgeable and enthusiastic. You can tell he truly has a passion for outer space. Eric did an outstanding job of pointing out many different planets and stars. This is a tour I highly recommend.
Review provided by Viator
Melanie_b
Jun 6, 2025
Great Tour! - Great itinerary with the waterfalls, lava tube & stargazing. Everyone can find a favorite part of the tour. Our guide Eric was so sweet, he brought flashlights for the lave tubes & extra coats for the star gazing. On top of all that, he brought telescopes as well! So thankful for the opportunity to see the moon that way, I’ll never forget it!
Review provided by Viator
Momih2025
May 28, 2025
A Star-Filled Night in Hilo – Absolutely Worth It! - We went on the Hilo Stargazing tour on May 23rd which was a perfect night with no moon in the sky, making the stars incredibly vivid. Our group was small (just 4 of us), which made the experience feel intimate and personal. The tour started with a visit to a series of iconic Hilo landmarks: the King Kamehameha Statue, Rainbow Falls, Boiling Pots, and Kaumana Caves Park. We stopped at Gilbert Kahele Recreation Area for a quick meal before heading up Saddle Road, where the stargazing began. Rich setup a telescope to view Mars, several constellations, galaxies, and even the stunning Honey Cluster. One of the most unique moments was watching a train of satellites pass overhead for a full 15 minutes! It was chilly, and although jackets were provided, I’d recommend layering up even more to stay comfortable once night falls. Our guide, Rich, was outstanding, deeply knowledgeable about both traditional astronomy and Hawaiian star navigation. He explained complex topics in a way that was easy to follow, blending culture, science, and storytelling beautifully. This tour is a must-do, especially if you're short on time and want to experience a lot in one go. Perfect for families, couples, or solo travelers looking for a memorable night in Hilo. A definite 5 out of 5 stars!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ana_r
Mar 26, 2025
Amazing Telescope Experience! - The tour guide was outstanding, and completely knowledgeable in the solar system. It was like a NASA experience in the earth, in this case, in beautiful hawaii!
Review provided by Viator
Travel43481124785
Feb 16, 2025
A Great Stargazing Tour - It was such a wonderful trip! Henry, my tour guides was thoughtful and knowledgeable, best of all, he loves and is enthusiastic about what he's doing! I had a wonderful stargazing time and learned a lot!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Marcy_l
Feb 2, 2025
This will be the... - This will be the highlight of our trip we learned quite a bit about Hilo. Stopped at places we wouldn’t know to stop at and saw the most amazing sky. Great guide, well paced if you lookup at the skies with wonder/take this trip
Review provided by Viator
Ketand699
Jul 11, 2025
Good trip but way over priced - Guide was nice but I think it’s way over priced, they should also make it clear in the listing that they won’t be taking us to summit but will go to below the visitor center. It’s an easy drive of 45 min from Hilo and if you have rental car you can just drive there
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $241
up to 15 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).