We booked a tour with Maui StarGazing during our trip to Maui in Jan 2019. The site was easy to use and booking was easy. Unfortunately the weather didn't cooperate but they texted us to notify that it wasn't a good night. We didn't have another night available to rebook as we were at the end of our stay. Will definitely rebook when we come back. Kudos to Maui StarGazing for being proactive in making the decision to cancel instead of us spending the hours to go and not being satisfied. read more

We had an amazing vacation, and this still stands out as a major highlight. No doubt that this will be a lifetime memory. Jan was an amazing guide, planning all of the logistics carefully and explaining the night sky in an compelling, informative way. We brought our 12 and 16 year old kids, and they enjoyed it as much as we did. While we were at the summit, we saw one other stargazing tour and we concluded that our guide was better prepared and more knowledgeable. I wouldn't have done this any other way. So grateful! read more

A wonderful outing with a very knowledgable guide! Jan remembers everyone's name and provides snacks, clothing, hot drinks and chairs along with her expertise. I am glad we got the chance to take the tour on such a clear night. read more

My dad and I recently went on Jan's stargazing and sunset tour and it was one of the coolest things I've ever done in Maui and in my life. I had heard about Jan's company a few years back from a friend and decided the next time I'm in Maui, I have to see what he was raving about. We booked the tour about a month before our arrival and everything was very straight forward in terms of directions, payments and schedule. We couldn't have picked a better day. The skies were bright blue with almost no cloud coverage. We went up Haleakalā around 4:30 and got to the top around 5:30pm. Jan let us wander around and then took us to a very special viewing spot to watch the sunset. She served hot chocolate, tea, coffee and other snacks while we watched the most epic sunset ever. As soon as it got dark, she brought out her telescope and that's when the real fun started. Planets, star clusters, galaxies and much more. My mind was actually melting looking through the telescope. Jan was knowledgeable and told us so much we didn't know about space. My dad wasn't sure what he was in for when I took him up the mountain, but he was just as mesmerized as I was. Afterwards he kept telling me how amazing that experience was. It was a great father/son bonding moment and I would highly recommend this to anyone traveling to Maui. Obviously the better the weather, the better the experience. If you like to get your mind blown and look at cool stuff, book this tour now. I can't wait to do it again. Thanks Jan, you are an absolute legend! read more

Definitely worth the time and money. Weather was perfect and Jan was entertaining and informative. We saw 15 different objects, including Saturn and binary stars. It was a great time. read more

This is one of the highlights of our Maui trip. Jan knows her stuff when it comes to guiding us through the night sky and keeping us warm and comfortable. She provided individuals with warm clothes (basically a ski ensemble minus the skis): jackets, pants, gloves and hat. The first event was to drive to the summit (10,000 ft) of Haleakala to watch the sunset, which was AMAZING and then meet her at 9,700 ft for the star gazing. While we waited for dark to fall, Jan provided much appreciated hot chocolate and some snacks (chips and cookies). From there, Jan used her laser pointer to show us the constellations, and then we viewed them from her telescope. A rocket scientist was also there taking computer guided pictures of the stars,which he showed to us on his iPad. My kids thought this experience was so fun! It was also cool to go upcountry and experience different topographies from the typical resort setting. Some tips: (1) Get some crystalized ginger or Dramamine if you get motion sick: the road up Haleakala is full of switchbacks. (2) Bring warm clothes with you (3) Bring beach chairs; this could be helpful if you dislike standing for long periods If you want to spend a day upcountry, you could also check out the (1) goat farm -- goat milking and cheese samples are available (2) Ali'i Lavender farm -- you'll learn about the local botanicals and walk away with a bouquet of plant/flower clippings (3) Ocean Vodka Tour -- I've never done this, but it could be fun if the kids are not with you (4) Explore Makawao, a cowboy town. Overall, you won't regret spending an evening at the top of the world! Thanks, Jan! read more

SO worth it! Jan was fantastic - very knowledgeable and fun to talk with! Stargazing in Maui is an absolute must, it really is incredible. Highly recommend this to anyone visiting - but as Jan warns, it gets cold, so bundle up! read more

We had a wonderful star gazing night. Jan is very knowledgeable and willing to share. We are very lucky to have a clear sky on that night. Watching sunset with a hot cocoa was a good start. When the sunlight gone and the stars coming out, the scene that shiny galaxies on my head are just shocking amazing. We saw the Jupiter, the Saturn and many other stars and galaxies from a telescope. Jan commented very well. The tour provides chairs and high-end jackets which are really thoughtful. Even more thoughtful part is when the tour ends, I received an email from Jan listing all the items we observed. That's really helpful to non-English native speaker like us to recap. read more

A truly spectacular experience. My family of 4 had a great time. The van was super clean and comfortable for the tide to to summit. Jan could not have been nicer, and extremely knowledgeable. She knew the perfect spots to escape the crowds. I would definitely add this experience for your next trip to Maui!! read more

This was surprisingly the most memorable portion of our 5 day stay in Maui. I think we would've expected it might be the Road to Hana or the endless beach days, but this really took the medal for us. The first day we signed up, we got rained out, and Jan had thankfully reached out early enough so that we were able to rearrange our day accordingly. The next day we set out! It was a really fun ride up the mountain, with a cute educational video that played... we stayed at a couple different locations about 20-30 minutes each. Honestly I found this to be fine given that there wasn't much to see beyond taking a few photos. But once we got to our location to watch the sunset is where our breath really got taken away. It was the perfect spot to set up. And once some of the other tourists left, we had the area all to ourselves and so the stargazing began! We got to see a bunch of different deep space objects... galaxies, nebulas, star systems etc. It should go without saying, you are not going to see close ups of galaxies millions of lightyears away... this is not the hubble telescope (which by the way, many of the images you're used to seeing having artist coloring representations) but it surprised me that people expect that. This isn't Star Trek. nonetheless the telescope gazing was pretty cool. I wished we would have been able to spend a little bit more time looking BUT i quickly got over that after appreciating we got to see over a dozen different things! If you are a space enthusiast like myself this tour is definitely for you! We ended up going for my partner's 30th birthday, and he said it was the absolute perfect way to spend the day. :) read more

Jan has thought of everything! She was not only knowledgeable, she was a wonderful host! She provided warm clothing, hot beverages and snacks for our group of ten. She had an amazing telescope, and provided an outstanding tour of the Hawaiian night sky. She knows just where to go to view the incredible sunset; keeping us away from the crowds. It was a perfect evening. So glad we chose Maui Stargazing! read more

We had a fabulous time with Jan, she is a joy to work with both before the date and during. We made our reservations on line and had lots of communication from and with Jan. She was very clear and specific with where to meet, time, how to dress etc. She brought warm jackets, pants and hats. The sunset and star gazing is beyond description. Truly breath taking and will always be a evening to remember. This is a not to be missed experience. Recommend that you bring gloves, wear super warm shoes and maybe bring a hot drink in a thermos - it gets freezing cold and you don't want to miss anything. read more

I will now add this to my recommended "Maui Must Do" list. The sunset from the summit of Haleakala is phenomenal. Then once down you experience the most amazing stargazing. Jan did an amazing job of using her laser pointer to show us what we would be looking at, then gave us a close up look on her iPad before showing us through the telescope. Having the background information was great and made the viewing experience that much more enjoyable and educational. Beyond that she supplied us with high quality ski pants, jackets, hats, and gloves as well as hot drinks and snacks to offset the very cold temperatures after dark. read more

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Star gazing atop Mt. Haleakala was absolutely incredible, especially through Jan's amazing telescope. She outfitted us with very nice warm clothes, made sure we were all comfortable and ensured that we each had ample time to look through the telescope. And boy does she know her stuff! I was hesitant to do this when my wife proposed it as an activity during our too-short trip to Maui, but it was one of the highlights of our vacation. read more

Jan was amazing! You can tell she has a passion for what she does! It was an amazing tour! Thank you Jan!

Aloha! We just returned from our family vacation in Maui. Maui Stargazing is definitely one of highlights from our trip. Jan is really passionate about astronomy and makes sure we get to experience that excitement. The top of Mt Haleakala was cold and windy, but Jan supplied us ample jackets, pants, and accessories. We enjoyed the sunset from the peak, there no words that can describe it, before heading to our viewing spot. We decided to go down to a lower more protected area. Here we had excellent stargazing conditions. No wind, clear skies, and a dark moon made for an incredible night sky. Jan had cookies and hot chocolate/coffee for us to enjoy. My husband's favorite part was that Jan had everything on her tablet and would explain and show us what we were seeing through her amazing telescope. We even got to see the moon shadow on Jupiter, as well as Jupiter's three moons! Orion Nebula is also one of our highlights, only to be outdone by our grand finale of Betelguese!!! We got to see 1 Planet, 4 Galilean Moons, 2 Nebulae, 8 Galaxies, 1 Binary Star System, 5 Open Star Clusters, 11 1st Magnitude Stars, 9 Asterisms, 13 Constellations, and some Satellites and Shooting Stars!!!! Wow!!! Our 19 year old son is currently taking Astronomy at UNLV and Jan let him find an object by himself on her telescope, very cool! This was the happiest I saw him all week. We met Jan at the Kula Lodge before our drive up. The little store here has a good assortment of snacks and local items too. I bought some crystallized ginger candy in case anybody got car sick, it was a good move. The staff here are so friendly and helpful, they have free tastes of local peanut butters and more. We had a nice little car picnic. While in Kula we decided to go to the Surfing Goat Farm and also did the Ocean Vodka tour beforehand. I highly recommend Maui Stargazing!!! A Must-Do while in Maui !!!!! read more

Jan knows the night sky so well and her 12 Dobsonian telescope was perfect for viewing deep sky objects as well as the planets. She provided great clothing to stay warm while enjoying the beauty of space. Her enthusiasm for the night sky was inspiring to even the most inexperienced viewers. Having my own telescopes and years of experience made me appreciate this event even more as Jan's skills were top notch in astronomical viewing. Jan is a great hostess and the event is a highlight in any visit to Maui. A must if you have any interest in the night sky and the beautiful sunsets on Haleakala. read more

It's very simple booking with Jan. It's also very easy to contact her if you have any questions. She gives you a heads up on the forecast which made me feel at ease. The day of our tour I was looking up the weather for Haleakala and the chances for rain was 50 percent. I'm not sure how accurate that website was though. Anyways, driving up the meeting place (Kula Lodge) the weather looked very iffy. Once we met Jan, she used her phone to show us the weather up in Haleakala. It was so clear, it was unbelievable. She brought us extra warm clothes for us to use and we're so glad she did. We followed Jan up to Haleakala through the clouds (I'm serious) and the sky was so clear I was amazed. I totally thought it was going to rain, but Jan was right! It was so nice once we passed the clouds. Once you get to the parking lot, make sure she knows you've made it or she'll be worried about you. We went off to see the sunset without telling her and the whole group thought I hit a cow or something on the way up. So let her know! After watching the sunset, Jan started the tour and was very informational. She knows her stuff! She made sure no one was left out when observing the sky. Her tour was so eyeopening. I've never been more amazed about the night sky. I think my favorite star was Betelgeuse (sounds like beetle juice). When you go on your tour, you'll see why that star was my favorite. Anyways, Jan was an excellent tour guide. She's very helpful so don't be shy if you have any questions. read more

We thoroughly enjoyed Maui Stargazing! Visiting Haleakala is a mind blowing experience. Because of weather issues, we had to reschedule our tour, but Jan was most accommodating and helpful, even delivering to us a jacket that we'd left behind! We were able to see many objects in the telescope. And the Milky Way was simply stunning! I highly recommend this tour, especially if you live in an urban or suburban area and don't get this amazing view of the stars frequently. read more

The sunset and stargazing were absolutely beautiful & magnificent. It was exciting to see the planets, nebulae, binary stars, planetary nebula, constellations, and the Andromeda galaxy through Jan's 12-inch Dobsonian reflector telescope. Saturn and its beautiful rings were definitely a scene stealer! Jan is very knowledgeable, friendly, and a fun guide. She entertained questions and gave us interesting information. We were given ample time to observe through the telescope. The view at Haleakala was spectacular- - the crater, watching the sun set into the cloud layer below! It was stunning! We were dressed very comfortably (thanks to the warm clothing provided by Maui Stargazing) and the hot cocoa, coconut water, and snack were great! This trip was one of the highlights of our Maui vacation. I would highly recommend this fabulous adventure to anyone that loves seeing beautiful sunsets and is interested in astronomy. read more