Esperienza di osservazione delle stelle a Mauna Kea + foto
Descrizione
Guidati sia da un astronomo che da un astrofotografo, siamo l'unico tour di osservazione delle stelle che combina una guida Esperta con l'astrofotografia, offre esperienze di due ore, evita la folla e ha una garanzia di osservazione delle stelle. Parte 1 – Tutte le età benvenute. Ci incontriamo nella nostra posizione buio-cielo sulle piste sicure e confortevoli di Mauna Kea o Mauna Loa. Rilassati su una sedia pieghevole reclinabile, sorseggia una cioccolata calda, goditi l'aria fresca di montagna e guarda le stelle apparire. Parte 2 – Usando il nostro telescopio intelligente Celestron Origin, il nostro astronomo vi porta l'universo. Nessun oculare richiesto. Controllato da uno smartphone, produce splendide immagini live sullo schermo. Guarda galassie, nebulose e ammassi stellari in tempo reale mentre il tuo astronomo spiega ogni oggetto e risponde alle tue domande. Parte 3 – Mentre ti godi la vista, il nostro astrofotografo cattura immagini epiche di te e del tuo gruppo sotto il cielo notturno. I file digitali di dimensioni Med vengono inviati via email entro 48 ore, con aggiornamenti ad alta risoluzione disponibili.
Opzioni del tour
Itinerario
Guidati da un astronomo e un astrofotografo, i nostri tour evitano l'affollato Onizuka Visitor Center e si svolgono in luoghi tranquilli e remoti su Mauna Kea o Mauna Loa. Le fasce orarie sono scelte a mano per evitare la luce lunare brillante e massimizzare la vista del cielo notturno. Ogni esperienza di 90 minuti comprende: • Un discorso stellare guidato dal nostro astronomo utilizzando un telescopio intelligente Celestron Origin • Viste ravvicinate di oggetti del cielo profondo come nebulose, ammassi stellari e galassie • Ritratti omaggio scattati dal nostro astrofotografo con la Via Lattea come sfondo • Foto a media risoluzione incluse senza costi aggiuntivi • Una garanzia di osservazione delle stelle – se le stelle non si mostrano, il tour è gratuito
Punti salienti
Cosa è incluso
Valutazioni dei viaggiatori
Informazioni importanti
- Animali di servizio ammessi
- I viaggiatori devono avere una buona forma fisica
- I bambini devono essere accompagnati da un adulto
- Dress code: indossa pantaloni e scarpe con dita chiuse
- Funziona in tutte le condizioni atmosferiche, si prega di vestirsi in modo appropriato
- Il tempo può raggiungere 30F. Abbiamo giacche parka con tasche e cappuccio, anche se per alcuni potrebbe non essere sufficiente
- Non raccomandato per viaggiatori con limitazioni di mobilità / deambulazione, problemi alla schiena, al cuore e all'udito o altre gravi condizioni mediche
- I viaggiatori in gravidanza dovrebbero discutere prima con il proprio medico.
- Non adatto ad alcuni anziani
- Non raccomandato per i denuncianti cronici;)
Recensioni(272)
Even though I actually never went on the tour with the company I need to write a review on their behalf. They were thinking of cancelling the tour due to clouds and were very communicative around that sending constant updates. I was going to summit on my own anyway for sunset (not via tour) and when I got up there, it was above the cloud line and clear. They decided to continue with the tour at a later time, but when I told them it was clear near the summit, rather than trying to 'earn the fee/make the sale' they suggested I cancel the tour, stay at summit, and offered a full refund. This was awesome and cant thank the tour company enough. Would highly recommend the company in terms of communication and integrity and I am sure the tour itself is excellent and worth the money. Because of their thoughtfulness and generousity I was able to stay near summit and get excellent milky way photos. Could not recommend this company enough based on their honesty and thoughtfulness.
Would not recommend this tour. Save yourself the money and drive up to Mauna Kea on your own. To be fair, the staff were friendly, knowledgeable, and did a good job getting everyone safely to the viewing location. We also lucked out with excellent weather. Unfortunately, those were the highlights. The experience itself was surprisingly chaotic. While the lead astronomer, Dylan, was trying to give his presentation, the photographer was constantly lining groups up for Milky Way photos just a few feet away. Between the photography, people talking, and others getting up for pictures, it was difficult to hear or stay engaged. If you're expecting a peaceful evening learning about the night sky, this isn't it. Dylan was clearly knowledgeable, but his presentation felt more like a stand-up comedy routine with astronomy mixed in than an actual guided stargazing experience. Instead of focusing on the stars and constellations we were actually looking at, much of the discussion revolved around black holes, nebulas, and other astronomy topics that had little connection to what was visible in the sky that night. It was entertaining at times, but not what we signed up for. The telescope felt especially misleading. The website advertises that one is provided, but guests never actually get to use it. Instead, we were shown images on an iPhone that were presented as if they had just been captured, only to later discover they had been taken weeks earlier. That left a bad taste and felt unnecessarily deceptive. By the end of the night, we genuinely couldn't figure out what our nearly $300 per person had paid for. The viewing location was on public land just minutes off the highway with no special access, we never looked through the telescope, and the astronomy portion rarely focused on the sky above us. In the end, it felt like we paid hundreds of dollars for hot chocolate, a folding chair, and two professionally taken Milky Way photos. Mauna Kea is breathtaking and absolutely worth experiencing. This tour, however, added very little value and actually detracted from what should have been a memorable, peaceful night under the stars.
Mahalo for taking the time to share your feedback. We’re genuinely sorry the experience didn’t meet your expectations. I’d like to clarify a few points for future guests (new telescope coming soon!). One of our telescopes is equipped with a built in imaging system designed for deep space objects such as galaxies, nebulae, and star clusters. Rather than viewing through a traditional eyepiece, guests watch live images captured by the telescope as they develop. We also occasionally show examples from previous nights to show what other objects are visible throughout the year. In addition, we sometimes include bonus 30 minute long exposure images in our galleries at no extra charge. These images are carefully captured, processed, and edited over multiple nights to showcase faint deep sky objects at their best. While they may not have been taken that evening, they’re an added bonus that stargazing companies don’t provide. We include them because we want guests to leave with beautiful astronomical images they can enjoy long after the tour. Regarding the timing of the Milky Way photos, on nights when clouds are in the forecast or approaching the horizon, we sometimes choose to take group photos earlier in the evening. We’ve learned from experience that if we wait until after the astronomy presentation, clouds can roll in before everyone has a chance to be photographed. Taking photos first helps ensure guests don’t miss out on one of the highlights of the tour. Our viewing location is intentionally selected well away from the busy public access road, with approximately 99% less traffic than the popular roadside viewing areas. This gives guests a quieter experience, darker skies, and a location that is typically miles from the nearest vehicles. We also intentionally built in a one hour cloud delay this particular night as conditions warranted. Rather than rushing into marginal weather, we’ll often wait for clouds to clear so guests can enjoy the best possible skies. Without that flexibility, we could simply end up sitting in the clouds for an hour. We also stand behind our tours with our Clear Skies Guarantee. If conditions don’t allow for quality stargazing, we’ll cancel the tour and offer guests the option to reschedule or receive a full refund. As mentioned briefly avice, we are also excited to share that we’ll soon be adding a new telescope with eyepiece, which will provide incredible live views of the Moon and planets while complementing our deep sky imaging system. Finally, if any guest has concerns during the experience, we always encourage them to let us know while we’re together or reach out afterward. We truly want the opportunity to make things right and are constantly working to improve. Guests who book reach out through Instagram @EpicTours can also save up to 25% compared to third party booking platforms. We appreciate your feedback and will continue working to provide an even better experience for future guests.
The tour can be Mauna Kea or Mauna Loa- tour guides decides day before. We were assigned Mauna Loa. The guide was very well versed and the photographer was generous with photo opportunities. The tour started an hour late, which for some traveler's (us) made starting at 10 pm very difficult to stay awake and we had a 2 hour drive home. The telescope transfers photos to the guides phone for viewing. Was hoping for some planets- but galaxy- nebula and deep space was the theme. We are educated but not astronomers— felt it was a little beyond our needs. I prefer Mauna Kea- and old fashion star gazing.
Mahalo for joining us and for the thoughtful feedback. I’m glad you enjoyed the guide and photography. We do adjust locations and start times to provide the best possible conditions. On the night of your tour, the later start allowed us to avoid the bright moon entirely, something the standard sunset tours were unable to do. While the later schedule isn’t ideal for everyone, it gave us access to much darker skies and better deep-space viewing. Our current telescope experience focuses on galaxies, nebulae, and other deep-space objects, which can be different from traditional stargazing. We recognize that some guests only know a more classic telescope experience with planets and other brighter objects, and we’re exploring the addition of a second telescope in the future to offer more viewing options. We’re also proud to include complimentary professional Milky Way portraits of our guests, a unique part of the experience other stargazing tours do not offer. We appreciate you giving us a try and sharing your perspective. Mahalo and safe travels!
An amazing experience where you are able to get an unobstructed view of the stars. We took so may great pictures and our guide was very good.
The stars were beyond words! Our guides were fabulous, We learned all lot and had a great time. Once in a lifetime experience, don't miss this.
This was the best choice for us. An astronomer from U of Hawaii lead it. We had our photo taken with the brilliant Milky Way in the background: amazing. They made sure we were going to see the stars by adjusting the start time for us. Their telescope was for taking photographs of deep space.
This is a great experience. The tour guide was an actual astronomer from the University of Hawaii in Hilo. Chairs and parka coats were provided. They also took a photograph of you with with the Milky Way in the background. It turned out wonderful. The tour was shorter and more focused, which was good. They waited until the clouds moved by and focused your time on the lecture and looking at galaxies and nebulas in deep space. They used a telescope that was perfect; it took actual photos of galaxies. This is better than looking through a telescope eyepiece. And you can purchase these photos! They kept me informed all the way to make sure we were going to actually have a good night to view the stars.
Our guides included an astrophysicist who made the entire evening fascinating, engaging, and easy to follow. You could immediately tell how knowledgeable and passionate he was, but what really stood out was his ability to explain complex concepts in a way that felt exciting and approachable for everyone in our group from the youngest to the oldest. James made sure we received updates on weather, ensuring maximum views adjusting our time and location to make sure we had thoughtful and meaningful experiences and photographs we will treasure. There were chairs of varying sizes, heights and recline levels, parkas as needed and refreshments: things we wouldn’t have thought of that show just how professional this operation is. The tour was not only educational, but genuinely memorable. Between the stunning night sky, the thoughtful explanations, and the guide’s enthusiasm, it turned into one of the highlights of our trip. Highly recommend this experience to anyone visiting Hawaii — whether you already love astronomy or are just curious about the stars.
Dress warm. It’s pretty chilly. The parkas they give you are great but the stars! It was so beautiful!
Honestly, I could go on this tour every night. The guides were knowledgable and fun to be around. Our evening was a little cloudy, but they worked around it and taught us about the constellations, and the photos are amazing!
