莫纳克亚山峰

很棒的旅游公司!今晚我们的导游是罗伯特,他非常棒,而且知识非常丰富,他在夏威夷大岛25年的生活经历让我们印象非常深刻.下午2:30左右我们从旅游公司出发,晚上11:30左右回到酒店。莫纳克的落日很美,望远镜在落日中闪闪发光。那天晚上没风,我猜那是不寻常的状况。旅游公司提供了羊毛内胆的夹克,有兜帽和手套,一旦太阳下山你一定会用到。上山的路上,我们停在6000公尺高的地方吃晚餐,食物非常美味,让我们有机会和我们的同伴一起闲谈,而且可以适应高纬度。罗伯特是个非常棒的服务员,关于食物给我们很多的帮助.......看完美丽的日落后,因为晚上很冷但是非常晴朗没有风,我们没有回游客中心而是在看星星,我们看到金星,围绕木星的卫星,及土星的环。我们用罗伯特的激光指示器看到很多星座,南十字星座非常棒。银河非常闪耀,后来他用望远镜看到两个星系,一个是徳波星系,另一个是像雪茄形状的雪茄星系。通过望远镜观星的时候,罗伯特会为你提供热巧克力和美味的布朗尼蛋糕。我和我丈夫强烈推荐这趟旅行,如果你碰巧也是罗伯特做你的司机和导游,你会非常幸运......他是一个知识丰富非常友好的人,让我们这趟旅行非常难忘!

我们8天行程中最棒的就是去Ohau和大岛了。没开车到顶峰前,我们在游客中心待了40分钟,说是让我们先让身体适应一下海拔。前往峰顶的途中,我们看到了许多美丽的景致。在顶峰上就感觉俯瞰全世界了一样。真是一览众山小啊!也许和从飞机上往下看差不多,可是体验绝对不一样。要注意的是一定要冷静,不要跑,不然会摔倒。然后又去了游客中心,等候了45分钟直到天黑。服务员准备了许多望远镜让我们观看星星和星球。我们看到了木星和月亮以及水星还有光环!真是非凡的体验!我们还在服务员的解说下看到了其他星星。所以一定要来哟!

这对我们而言是个亮点。我们自己驾车爬到了9500英尺高的旅馆,很顺利。租赁公司告诉我们不要驾车到13,700英尺高的地方,我们照做了。不过其他人开车上去了,也没遇到什么问题。山上的景色超赞——能看见云海。风吹着有点冷,所以,上去前要多穿点衣服,尤其是想看日落的人。推荐看一下日落。我们因为穿的不多,就没留下看。公园工作人员给我们介绍了山顶上的天文台,很有意思。千万不要错过。没必要为8小时的旅行浪费钱。没人收我们的钱。

非常值得来看一看,哪怕只有一次,在漂亮的乡村骑马,很多游客是步行爬到顶峰的,如果你爬到顶峰,记得多穿点!上面空气很稀薄而且很冷,风很刺骨但是景色非常美,这一切都是值得的。许多地方仍然有雪(夏威夷的雪),这我看过。

站在云层之上,看着这世界上最尖端最先进的望远镜,这一切都让人顿时倍感谦恭。在游客中心仰望着夜空上的繁星,那感觉真的很美妙,我还看到了我之前从来没听说过的东西。

70 MPH winds keep us from making it to the top, but driving to the Visitors Information Station was still worth the drive. The views are beautiful and there are telescopes made available for star gazing accompanied by knowledgeable guides from 6 to 10 PM. Be sure and check the weather before you go...with a little planning you'll be able to make it to the top, something I’m looking forward to.

fantastic view and almost lunar feel, and sparse plant life give you an eery feeling and this time it had just snowed there which is not something you would have expected on Hawaii .

My husband and I have been to Hawaii many times before, so we have experienced the summits at Haleakala on Maui, Diamond Head on Oahu, and walked across Kilauea on a previous trip to the Big Island. Therefore, we couldn't wait to add the summit atop Mauna Kea to our list of accomplishments. Please do your research if you plan to visit the summit at Mauna Kea. You MUST have a 4x4 to climb past the visitors center. We made 2 trips to Mauna Kea with hopes of making it to the summit. The first trip we arrived at about 4:30 so we could watch the sunset. However, we were met with disappointment when we found out the summit had been closed due to icy conditions since January 1. We made the best of our visit, and watched the sunset atop one of the closer summits near the visitors center. Even at 9200 feet it was cold!!!!! We came with jackets, gloves and earmuffs and boy were we glad we had them. After sunset the students from the Observatory came down and conducted some astronomy lessons to all the people who had gathered at the observation deck. They had several telescopes set up to view different planets. We saw Mercury, Mars and Venous. Then they used laser pointers and pointed out the constellations in the clear night sky. Meanwhile the visitors center sold hot chocolate to help keep you warm. Overall it was a great way to spend the evening, but we were still disappointed not to make it to the top of the summit. We took a call back sheet which had contact numbers on it to call the park ranger daily to get updates on the ice at the summit. On our last day on the Big Island, as luck would have it, the summit opened. It was the 10th of January and we made a mad dash back to Mauna Kea. This was my first time to operate a Jeep 4x4 and I made quick haste to watch a YouTube video about how to operate it. Boy was I glad I did. We made it back to Mauna Kea which is about a 45 min drive from Waikoloa which is about 35 mins from Kona proper. We pulled in at the visitors center where they ask you to acclimate to the high altitude for about 30 mins prior to making the ascent. Then you pass by the park ranger who looks into your vehicle to make sure you have 4WD and off you go. The paved road ends about 100 yards later and you start the very steep ascent to the top. The dirt is graded to help those on their descent but it makes for a bumpy ride. It is very treacherous and took us about 30 mins to drive to the top which is another 5,000 feet from the visitors center. When we got to the top it was an incredible view above the clouds. It was also snow covered and COLD with a huge wind at about 30 mph. It was enough to feel like it was taking your breath away from you. The summit has many observatories with NASA and the Subaru telescopes but none of these are open to the public. Locals were at the top using surf boards to sled down the snowy slopes. I have some great memories and photos. I'm glad we were persistent and made it to the top. We used 4 low the entire way back down and it took about 30 to 40 mins to make it back to the visitors center.

The scenery is amazing, not just at the top, but on the way up. We went during the day time, so didn't get to see the stars. But depending on fog and cloud cover, the view can't be beat! We acclimatized at the 9,000 ft level for about 45 minutes before driving the rest of the way (in our 4-wheel drive jeep). All four of us got a little light headed and headachey at the top after about 1/2 -1 hour, so didn't linger too long. I would love to go again at night.

You will never see so many stars than you will here.... breathtaking and absolutely worth a nighttime trip!!

This was spectacular! It's a b*+#% to get up there, the roads are rough and parts are unsaved. I wouldn't even try it without a truck/4WD vehicle. Make sure to check the weather up there before you go it can be dangerous, they have a live webcam on their website. If its clear the views are simply unbelievable, when party cloudy it can still be breathtaking because you can see over many of the clouds, it's 13,700ish feet high. The we're guys snowboarding when I was there in March. Bring your camera.....and your jacket.

Being on Mauna Kea was like being on the moon with the sun shining! AMAZING! Bring a jacket, it was a bit chilly up there. At 14,000 feet, be sure to stay at the gift shop at the 9,000 foot mark for at least 30 minutes to get used to the altitude. I was still a bit light headed at the top if I moved around too quickly. It was a fun adventure finding snow to pose with!

Great public access of smaller portable telescopes. Great energy with visitors fr around the world all interested in what the universe has to offer our pee-on size brains. A hot cup of ramen noodles purchased will fill and warm you up while youre gazing up to the heaven from the 9000' observation level.The once a month lectures by science staff doing research on the mountain , we found very interesting. Not recommended for kids under 12 unless they love astonomy and science info.

It's a different world up here on Mauna Kea. I think they are a bit overly cautious about the treachery of the drive up here. I went on an organized tour, but wouldn't have any issue driving a car. The saddle road is in excellent shape now. Make sure you stop and acclimatize at the visitor center for 30 minutes before continuing to the summit. You are able to go inside and see the observation area of the Keck telescope. Wish I could have gone at night to look at the stars. Great photos on the summit with views of several neighboring peaks and islands. Air is thin, don't try to do too much. If you feel sick, descend. And dress warm, it's pretty cold up top.

You NEED a 4x4 SUV or truck to make the summit, and you need to go slowly (including a rest stop midway at Rangers Station), but it's well worth it for the adventure once you get to the top: you're above the clouds watching the sun set! Swim in the ocean during the day and experience the mountain cold at night. Fun!