MaunaKea Summit experience

A visit to the MaunaKea summit is an experience you will not want to miss out on whilst on your  Hawaii Big Island holiday or honeymoon as it offers amazing and unique stargazing and sunset experiences! The MaunaKea Summit is home to various telescopes that will allow for some epic stargazing at night but also is the perfect spot for a sunset picnic looking out over the Big Island. Driving yourself to the MaunaKea summit is possible, though you will need a 4 Wheel Drive car. We highly recommend hiring a car for the duration of your holiday to the Hawaiian Big Island (which we can sort out for you) but if you do not fancy having a 4WD car for your whole  Big Island Hawaiian holiday then you can also reach the summit of the MaunaKea volcano on a guided tour bus.

The sunset at MaunaKea is known to be one of the best sunset views in the state of Hawaii, and that’s a big competition, so it is well worth the visit! However, if you want to visit MaunaKea for what it is famous for, stargazing, there are a few ways to do this: firstly, you could go to the visitor’s centre located halfway up the volcano if you don’t have or want to hire a 4 Wheel Drive car as the visitor’s centre is accessible by all cars. Alternatively, you can make the trip to the MaunaKea telescopes at the summit either in your on 4WD car or on a tour bus! At the visitors centre you will also have access to smaller telescopes set up by volunteers for free and you’ll be able to learn all about astronomy from the visitor’s centre friendly staff. Driving to the MaunaKea Summit can be challenge and it is recommended you stop at the visitor’s centre first anyway for at least half an hour to acclimatise to the higher altitude. The roads can also be challenging so be sure you have planned and know your route. If you are planning to SCUBA dive whilst on your Hawaii Big Island holiday it is advised to wait at least 24 hours before ascending to the MaunaKea summit due to differences in pressure and altitude changes. There are 12 observatories on the MaunaKea summit from various different countries and from base to tip it is actually higher than Mt. Everest!

Visiting MaunaKea with a tour guide is an excellent way to learn about the landscape, stars and make sure you have an expert with you at all times! These tours are very popular however and can get booked up fast – we recommend booking your tour with us here at Charter Travel when your book your Hawaii Big Island holiday or honeymoon to ensure you are not disappointed and miss out on this incredible experience!