Mauna Kea Summit Tour: Sunset, Stargazing & Hilo Pickup

4.85

(145 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

I didn’t really expect to shiver in Hawaii, but there I was — teeth almost chattering — standing at the Mauna Kea summit with a borrowed jacket zipped up to my chin. The day started in Hilo with our guide (I think his name was Kaleo?) who greeted us with this huge grin and pointed out the monkeypod trees by Rainbow Falls. The falls were loud enough that you had to lean in to hear each other. There was a faint mist in the air, smelled kind of earthy-sweet. We actually caught a rainbow arcing through it — Anuenue, as Kaleo called it. I tried to say it back and he just laughed. I probably butchered it.

The drive up Mauna Kea is longer than you’d think; we stopped at the Onizuka Visitor Center around 9,000 feet to “acclimate,” which basically meant sipping tea and feeling slightly lightheaded while looking at old astronomy photos on the wall. It’s weird how quickly everything changes — one minute you’re surrounded by jungle greens, then suddenly it’s all volcanic rock and thin air. At some point I noticed my hands felt dry from the altitude. The road gets rougher near the top, but honestly that just made reaching the summit feel more unreal.

When we finally got out of the van at 13,796 feet for sunset, it was like standing on another planet. The clouds were below us — not above — and everyone went quiet for a second except for someone’s camera clicking. You could see these massive international telescopes scattered around like sci-fi movie props. Our guide talked about how sacred Mauna Kea is for Hawaiians (he sounded proud but also careful), and I remember feeling weirdly small but lucky to be there at all.

After dark, we huddled together for stargazing while Kaleo traced constellations with a green laser pointer (no telescopes on this tour). The sky was so clear you could see what felt like every star ever named. Someone tried to spot Mars but kept mixing it up with a plane — which made us all laugh even though our faces were numb from cold by then. I still think about that silence between jokes, when all you could hear was wind whipping past your ears.