Mauna Kea Summit Adventures — Local services in Hawaii

My wife and I booked a tour with Mauna Kea Summit Adventures on Oct. 19. We couldn't have been happier with our choice. The entire tour was fantastic. I thoroughly recommend them to anyone who wants to make the trek up the mountain.

Since we were staying in Hilo, we opted to be picked up at the visitor's center on the mountain. My wife ordered the lasagna dinner and said it was very good. (I didn't eat because I fast in the evening.) It was a good portion size for her, but she still ended up saving the brownie dessert for later.

Arthur (Art) was our guide that evening. I'm sure the other guides are great, but I thought Art was fantastic. He is obviously passionate, enthusiastic, and knowledgeable about astronomy, geology, and Hawai'i in general. I would request him as a guide if I ever do this again.

We were lucky and the weather was perfect that day. After the tour leaves the visitor's center you're taken up to the summit of the mountain next to the observatories to see the sun set. The tour company is very cautious about altitude sickness on the way up. You'll stop at least once for pictures and for the guide to check in on everyone's health. When you're at the summit make sure you turn around from watching the sunset to see the shadow of Mauna Kea on the clouds and topography to the East.

After the sunset the tour heads off to a lower elevation for stargazing. The company provides a nice telescope for viewing that has great resolution. Art seemed to be having a great time pointing out features in the night sky to everyone. A hot drink and snack is provided in the middle of the stargazing to warm you up while the guide makes adjustments to the telescope.

Art let us know that we were there on the perfect night. Not only did we have perfect weather, we were also there on the third night after the full moon. That meant the moon was rising during the stargazing. So the early part of the event didn't have the glow of the moon washing out the view of stars, but we still got to see it through the telescope at the very end. So if you can choose to tour on the third night after the full moon, then that's the...

Early March I booked the Mauna Kea Summit Adventure. We went Monday July 15, 2015.

Chris picked us up at Queen's Marketplace in Waikoloa on time and he greeted us so kindly. He was so excited to tell us that they just opened the road so our full adventure was on! Earlier protesters blocked the summit so you could only go to the 9000 level.

We learned about Chris' extensive background and I can tell you I felt a wave of relief knowing he was a paramedic; a firefighter; and had two degrees...and loved astronomy so much we were treated with sights I am sure no other tour group received!

The trip up there went fast as Chris chatted up about the history of the BIG ISLAND; the animals; the lava flows; we were truly lucky to have such a fantastic personality.

He made that trip all worth while and my kids listened to his every word.

I was worried bc my youngest has asthma and we were not stopping to aclimatize ourselves due to being able to go up the summit the last minute but he made us all feel so safe and secure...he stayed with us wobbly slow astronaut walkers at the summit until we felt okay and guided us to neat viewing areas.

He made each of us feel like we had our own specialized tour. I can't believe what people miss out when they go themselves. Chris answered all our questions and filled us in on the landscape; the telescopes and even showed us the bit of snow left below.

We got to go to a remote area lower down to view some fantastic sights that Chris set up with his telescope. He served us hot drinks and yummy cookies (we had a great lasagna dinner earlier)...he was an excellent planner as things had to be changed the last minute and not once did he looked stressed...such a happy go lucky guy and we all sure enjoyed his immense knowledge of the sky and history.

Chris showed us the SWAN but I have to say I could only see Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer! LOL! When you go-call it out so he has a good laugh...he claims I had the funny brownie! LOL!

If we go again...we'll be asking for CHRIS...you miss so much without him! Thank you for such a fabulous memory Chris! Great job! Linda and...

This was an extraordinary experience that my wife and I heartily recommend. The trip's logistics were seamless, living up to the description on the website. The sunset views from Mauna Kea, well above the clouds, were wonderful, as was the opportunity to see so many world-class observatories up close. The stargazing down at the Visitors' Center was incredible. The nubulae of the Milky Way looked like thick clouds, and the use of an excellent portable telescope provided amazing views of light-year-distant star systems. Wonderful!

But as I've said, this experience wasn't just wonderful, it was extraordinary. Why? Because our guide, Maka, was extraordinary! He's a native Hawaiian. He's smart, curious and enthusiastic, so he's very well informed about astronomy, volcanology and all of the Hawaiian islands. He's also personable, kind, helpful and funny. And to top it all off, he's a musician who throughout the trip streamed his Spotify playlist of soulful Hawaiian music. He graciously allowed us to photograph the playlist's details so we could access it, and we had it on an endless loop throughout the remainder of our trip and even at home, now, when we want to chill. Congratulations, Mauna Kea Summitt Adventures, you have a world-class guide!

All of the wonderfulness aside, here's some advisories/pro tips that we gathered from the experience. First, it's cold up there! The company provides excellent hooded parkas, but you should dress warmly in layers (I wished I'd had wool socks!); long underwear would be appropriate in Winter. Second, it's high up there (almost 14,000 feet)! Hydrate before, during and after the trip, and move slowly when you first arrive at the summit. You also might consider taking altitude sickness prevention medication. Third, the road from the turnoff to Mauna Kea to its summit is mostly unpaved, so be prepared for a washboard ride, which is more jarring going back down. Fourth, this is a long and exhausting trip (we were picked up in Kona at 3:00 p.m. and dropped off at 10:30 or so), just so you know.

But bottom line: it's fantastic, and if Maka is your guide, it...