Jeff was amazing. Very knowledgeable. The dinner and dessert was also delicious. The stars were absolutely amazing. Jeff really made the trip memorable.

The views at sunset from the summit of Mauna Kea were spectacular. The skies at lower elevation were mostly cloudy, so our stargazing later in the evening was limited, but our guide, John, provided so much information about the constellations and planets, how their locations shift with the seasons and latitude, illustrated with star charts and photos on an iPad, that we didn’t feel shortchanged.

This tour was fantastic. Our guide Jon was so knowledgeable. He told us facts in detail about the observatories, solar systems, volcanos and wildlife. The entire experience was phenomenal. Thanks for creating everlasting memories.

When knowledge and passion come together with a well run, absolutely unique experience , you have something special. This is what we experienced on this tour. Jeff, our guide, had incredible knowledge of both Hawai’i and astronomy. And the overall experience is something you cannot experience anywhere else in the world. Absolutely worth every $$.

It was a great and very lucky trip. We had perfect sunset, clear night sky and even comet: 12P/Pons-Brooks! And it was very impressive, when I watched the M42 Orion Nebula with naked eye through the 11 inch telescope. (I have had an 8 inch telescope before.) But I had a bad plan beforehand: Because I had some experience in Astronomy and Photography. So I hoped to take some best photos of milky way in my whole life there. But I forgot two thing: 1. The time was not late enough to get a really dark sky. The “astronomical twilight” was still there ,when we were up there. 2. wrong season: The galactic center of the milky way is visible only in the early morning in April. But those were my faults. By the way, I still built up my camera on tripod and got some pictures. I love the one of the comet ,Jupiter and dark volcano. It was Jeff, who showed me the comet! (photo with Panasonic G9 and 20mm F1.7 cropped). Mahalo Jeff.

Just wow! I know this tour is very expensive but it is absolutely worth it! Jeff was a fantastic guide; he welcomed the whole group like we were old friends and was so knowledgeable about the island. The drive to the visitor center is pretty easy. Dinner was hot and tasty - even my very picky husband liked his. The drive from the visitor center to the summit gets really bumpy. Once you get to the top it’s an incredible view. You are above the clouds to watch the sunset. When the sun sets you head down a bit and that’s when the magic really starts. It only took Jeff a few minutes to set up his telescopes. He showed us several different things and told us all about the stars. My husband didn’t stop smiling the entire time - I’ve known him 15 years and I have never seen him smile this much. Would book again in a heartbeat!

Our guide, Jeff, was incredible! He shared so much information about the volcanoes, observatories, stars and the island. Unfortunately, it was overcast that night, so we didn't get to do the stargazing. Jeff shared photos from earlier that week and explained what we were seeing just as if we were looking through a telescope. The view from the summit was breathtaking and the clouds made for an incredible sunset. Even without the stargazing, it was still an amazing experience.

Jason is the real star on Mauna Kea …! As tour guide he has a keen wit and voluminous knowledge of Native culture and heritage as applied to astronomy. He is generous and well spoken, a leader with a heart of gold. So sad couldn’t get to the top… High wind is out of control so I will just have to come back…!!!

Jeff our guide from moment one was amazing his knowledge about the islands etc was fantastic kept checking on everyone in the small group to see if ok due to altitude sickness effects. Views were fantastic and sunset was out of this world at 14000ft. Then stargazing was incredible pointed out stars and constellations to us in the dark sky. Would highly recommend using Hawaii Forest & Trail

This was a must see once in a lifetime experience. Our guide Jeff was funny and so knowledgeable. He had the best telescopes and we were able to see Jupiter, galaxies, the moon and even the southern cross. Loved it!

Very knowledgeable guide Jeff. New and comfortable transport vehicles. Amazing views of sunset and stars. Our family loved this excursion.

Even though we had a rental car on Hawaii island, we chose the tour because we weren’t sure about driving around, especially at night, and because it promised so much. It delivered and then some! Our driver/guide was Addison, and he was just above and beyond. We were on a 14-seater luxury van with only 10, which was nice. Addison talked the entire way to the Mauna Kea Visitors Center, and he is just full of knowledge! The promised vegetarian lasagna was really good (had some actual veggies in it, to our delight), hot to our surprise, and a chocolate brownie to die for. Addison gave us specific time information, so we knew where & when we could use the restroom, walk around, etc, and when to get back on the van. We were so very lucky to get a clear enough night to see the spectacular sunset, and on the way up to the peak we stopped to see giant antennas and telescope and learn about how they’re used. It was unfortunately too much cloud cover to use the company’s telescopes, but we went back down to the visitor center and Addison had a laser light and pointed out the constellations; he did this in a way that was very clear. I learned more from him that night than I ever knew. The parkas are toasty, he had gloves, he had snacks, he had advice for the altitude…and got us back to the meeting point safely.

Hawaii is more unique than Hollywood led my husband and I to believe. The Big Island seems to have every biome and climate imaginable so the shock of it gave us a ton of questions and Adam had an answer for everything. He was super kind, extremely knowledgeable and passionate. The drive was smooth, the half way point to the summit is very nice. I’m a picky eater but the sweet chili and southwest chicken were delicious. The summit is magical and seeing the sunset from 14,000 feet high is mind blowing. Bring a jacket or sweater just in case but normally extras are provided. We had a lot of clouds by night so we couldn’t see stars as much as we’d want to but we care’s more for the Summit anyway

Fascinating trip. Jason gave us incredible insights. So knowlegible. He gave a genuine ALOHA presentation. I would recommend this to anyone with a love of our sky

Ascending Mauna Kea and experiencing the sunset near the summit was awesome! This was followed by a stellar view of the night sky. The hot chocolate and cookies were a sweet way to end the night. Kudos to our guide John for the history lessons and safe passage along the way.

Absolutely brilliant 7 hours spent in a small group travelling slowly up Mauna Kea to the summit to watch a magnificent sun set right next to all the observatories. You truly feel on top of the world. Our guide Jeff really looked after us making sure we all were hydrated and deep breathing for the altitude. Then we went down a little to star gaze with Jeff setting up a manual telescope and also a digital one. He was able to show us so much and was very informative. It was mind blowing to see things that are 30 million light years away! Definitely a highlight of our holiday and one we will never forget.

Jason was a fantastic guide! His knowledge of the constellations and stars during the stargazing portion of the outing was unbelievable! Jayson made the trip truly enjoyable.

Jon was the tour guide. Absolutely the best guide one could ask for. Non stop information that was informative and interesting. Outstanding views.

We did the Maunakea Summit & Stars Giveback Experience this past week, and were lucky to secure a spot for a volunteer opportunity to collect seeds for a rare protected Native Hawaiian dry forest, which was cool. Jeff was our tour guide -- we enjoyed his driving, liked that his commentary incorporated native Hawaiian perspectives and histories. The summit sunset and stargazing were sublime; educational, relaxing and comfortable. The meals were delish, the hot chili and hot cocoa hit the spot! We look forward to doing another tour with Hawaii Forest & Trail in the future!

Sunset at the top of the world and seeing the Milky Way was unforgettable! Jeff was an awesome tour guide. Highlight of our big island trip!