Maunakea Stellar Explorer Hilo

A 7-hour guided adventure combining Big Island sightseeing with daytime solar viewing and nighttime stargazing on Maunakea. Starting from Hilo, the tour visits Rainbow Falls, Boiling Pots along the Wailuku River, and Kaumana Caves before crossing Saddle Road between Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa. Along the way, a National Park Service-trained guide provides narration on the area's volcanology, geology, lava flows, and native flora and fauna. A state-of-the-art solar telescope allows safe viewing of solar flares, sunspots, and prominences in true color during daylight hours. As evening arrives, the group heads to a preferred stargazing location on Maunakea for deep-sky observing through a large-aperture Dobsonian telescope - offering wide-field views of galaxies, nebulae, star clusters, planets, and more under some of the darkest skies on Earth. The tour includes a picnic-style lunch, warm jackets, and 100% Kona coffee and hot chocolate. All ages are welcome. This tour does not visit Maunakea's summit or Visitor Center out of deference to Native Hawaiian concerns. Pickup is from Hilo. A 48-hour cancellation notice is required for a full refund.