Mauna Kea Arnott's Adventures
Overview
Available languages
7 hours
Mobile ticket
Our Mauna Kea Summit Tour is designed to showcase the beauty and wonder of one of the most impressive mountains in the world. Mauna Kea (meaning “white mountain”) is historically and culturally very significant to the Hawaiian people, and because of its contributions to geology and astronomy, to the world as well.
Our local guides will enlighten you with the sacredness and cultural aspect of Mauna Kea.
A spiritual high for many locals and visitors.
#1 rated tour for adventure and photography.
This tour requires a minimum of 2 guests in order to run.
Our tour only meets guests in HILO or at the Onizuka Visitor Center on Mauna Kea. We may be able to arrange pickups in Kona for groups of at least 4 guests, upon request. Please contact us before booking if you are looking for a Kona pickup.
Please see additional info for restrictions on age, health, pregnancy, scuba diving, respiratory issues, heart issues, back issues, intoxicants etc. for this tour.
Additional Info
Service animals allowed
Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
Not recommended for pregnant travelers
Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
Travelers should have a high level of physical fitness
Age minimum 13 years old
DO NOT attend within 24 hours of scuba or manta ray diving
Not recommended for travelers with respiratory conditions
Not recommended to consume intoxicants during or directly before this tour
Not recommended to consume carbonated beverages during or directly before this tour
Cancellation Policy
All sales are final. No refund is available for cancellations.
What‘s Included
All Fees and Taxes
Jacket
Dinner
Telescopes
Meeting and Pickup
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
What To Expect
Rainbow Falls
Visit Hilo's local Rainbow Falls and monkeypod tree (Hilo departures only). If you're lucky you'll see Anuenue (rainbow).
Onizuka Astronomy Complex
Visit exhibits in this cozy station and acclimate at the elevation of 9,000 feet/2743 meters before ascending to the summit of Mauna Kea.
Options
Mauna Kea Arnott's Adventures
Pickup included
Reviews
142 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Highlight of our trip
Charlotte P,
Nov 5, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00A must do activity in Hawaii. Guide was amazing, views were amazing and the organisation was amazing. Only advice is bring as many layers as you can as it gets cold!!
A wonderful Mauna Kea expereince
juliancL9234HF,
Oct 29, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Our guide is attentive, knowledgeable, and communicative. The tour started at 3 PM (leaving the meetup point) and finished around 9 PM (back at the meetup point). There were 13 people in total, and they were all very friendly. Some of them were on their honeymoon from South Korea. This experience is a bonding time for friends, family, and loved ones.
Amazing tour, but guide can be more patient
Duizh,
Oct 7, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
3.00The Mauna Kea tour was an unforgettable, once-in-a-lifetime experience. The views from the summit and the stargazing were absolutely stunning — definitely worth doing. The guide was knowledgeable and explained how to handle altitude sickness, which I appreciated. However, he wasn’t very patient when I mentioned that I had experienced altitude sickness in the past and had been taking medicine in preparation. I didn’t have any symptoms during the trip, but he kept insisting that I might cause issues for the group and blamed me for being selfish, which was upsetting. In the end, everything went smoothly, and I was fine throughout the tour. Still, I hope the company trains their guides to handle these situations with more understanding and respect, especially when guests are being open and proactive about their health history.
If Mauna Kea, then with Arnott’s
Kirstin09,
Sep 26, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We had made the right choice with this provider and that was our highlight of the whole Hawaii trip! With Andres also the best guide - THANKS for that 🫶
Trip to mars
Bhavisha J,
Aug 21, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00Have you ever been to nasa, no than go here.. this is most underrated mountain trip you would ever have and I m telling you this is out of the world experience trip
Wonderful & perfect trip to the Top!
Karen K,
Jul 26, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00This was a fantastic trip to the summit! No food included but it was not needed! Great guide! He was extremely responsive and helpful! In addition to his wealth of information about the stars, the geography and the geology- he had some great tips for taking night & star pics with the IPhone! It truly is a once in a lifetime experience! Thank you!
This is an amazing tour!...
Charcee D,
Jul 16, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00This is an amazing tour! Our cruise ship had an overnight in Hilo and we were so excited to book this. We were picked up a short walk from the cruise port. Communication was excellent and our guide was fun and very knowledgable. Be sure to pack extra warm clothes to change in to. It is cold at the summit! Take a water bottle. You can refill at the visitor center with filtered water. This was such a great experience. The views and star gazing were unforgettable.
Good
lauracM532CJ,
Jul 6, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
4.00One of the most beautiful places I’ve seen in my life. I won’t forget the sunset from Mauna Kea. It is totally worth the visit. Andras was very knowledgeable.
Sunset and stars, double satisfaction
Inspiration821113,
Jun 17, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00The overall timing is right. Sufficient rest and acclimatization for high altitude plateau reactions. Guides are skilled, driving skills are good After crossing the clouds, the sea of clouds is beautiful. The sunset was powerful enough. The evening sky was also bright.
Good customer service and...
Alicia B,
May 18, 2025
- Review from Viator
2.00Good customer service and friendly staff over the phone. My party of two was unable to go on the sunset and stars tour as at 7200 feet myself and friend started to experience altitude sickness with chest tightness, throat tightness, shortness of breath and bloated stomachs. My body even started to shake.. We had to turn around and get to lower elevation. I called Arnott’s Lodge and asked for a partial refund of one of the two tickets if possible due to experiencing altitude sickness. I didn’t expect both tickets to be refunded but I thought Arnott’s Lodge could meet me half way and refund one of the tickets but management refused to. They stated I requested 3 tickets and they held those tickets for a month. I only booked 2 tickets. Also, I was informed they could refund if customers experienced airplane delays or road closures but not for altitude sickness even though altitude sickness can result in death and shouldn’t be taken lightly. If you are unsure how your body will react to a high altitude location, consider driving to the summit first before booking tickets and save $240.
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