Mauna Kea tour company recommendations?

[Kiana]

Hi there. We have visitors in May who want to take the Mauna Kea summit tour. We don't have an appropriate vehicle to drive the group up to the top ourselves. Any recommendations for a good tour company and good experience?

[macuu222]

All the tour companies I've seen for Mauna Kea Summit originate from the Kona side.

[Cagary]

Go to Harpers and rent a four wheel drive truck from them.

This will free you from being herding around. You'll be able to come and go as you please. The tour provided box lunches are expensive and awful. The tour itself is very expensive. You'll save a lot of money and have a better time if you rent your own truck. The drive up is not easy, but if you take it slow, you'll not have a problem.

-Veritas odium parit”(Terence 195–159 BC))-"Truth begets hatred".

[Obie]

Arnotts leaves from Hilo. Really pricey but they do have warm jackets.

http://www.arnottslodge.com/mksg.html

Harper is a good deal !!

[Kiana]

Thanks so much for good info. Harpers is a good idea. Arnotts has great reviews. The warm jackets are important! We have zero warm clothing and I doubt our guests will be packing any.

Anyone have experiences with altitude sickness?

[Chas]

I think everyone is different as far as altitude effects. When we went up, we only stopped at the "visitor center acclimation point" for about 20 minutes, which is less than advised.

After driving to the top, I started seeing spots and both of us got a headache after about 10 minutes, so we came back down.

Haven't been back since...

[geochem]

quote:

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Originally posted by Kiana

Anyone have experiences with altitude sickness?

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Ditto on the previous post - altitude can cause problems for some people. Best thing to do is to give yourself (and guests) plenty of time at intermediate altitude before you go up to the summit. Maybe go up and make a short hike on one of the trails - Pu'u O'o is one - and then go up to the visitor center and hang out for a half hour or so, watch their video, whatever, then go to the summit only if you don't feel light-headed there.

The thing to keep in mind is that, if you are impaired by the oxygen levels, feeling bad when you are up there is the least of it: you are also going to be driving back down a less than ideal road with less than perfect mental acuity (in a vehicle that you aren't entirely familiar with...).

It pays to be extra cautious if you decide to go.

[terracore]

Here is a link that describes how ibuprofen is being tested (with positive results) as an anti-altitude-sickness-drug. Since it is available over-the-counter, anybody can access the drug outside the test. With a little googling, a person can find out more information about this:

http://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/20...-find.html

[Cagary]

quote:

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Originally posted by Kiana

Thanks so much for good info. Harpers is a good idea. Arnotts has great reviews. The warm jackets are important! We have zero warm clothing and I doubt our guests will be packing any.

Anyone have experiences with altitude sickness?

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Weather up top in May shouldn't be that bad. And since you are not hiking to the summit, the truck has a heater! When my daughters (16 and 19 yo) got cold, they just got back in the truck and started the engine. I was in shorts (who owns long pants?)with a good coat. Inexpensive coats can be had at Walmart. They sure will be cheaper than the per person tour costs!

None of us had even an inkling of altitude sickness.

-Veritas odium parit”(Terence 195–159 BC))-"Truth begets hatred".

[TomK]

Kiana,

I have a little experience of visiting the summit, but am not a medical doctor, so bear that in mind.

Most visitors to the summit get by just fine, especially as most don't spend too much time up there. You and your guests will no doubt suffer minor symptoms of being at altitude: breathlessness, a minor headache, being stupid, but these are normal and nothing to be worried about. Terracore mentioned ibuprofen and that might help with the minor headache you could get.

Severe symptoms to watch for include serious headache, slurred speech, nausea and vomiting. If you or any of your guests show one or more of those symptom, return to sea level immediately. They'll get better on the ride down!

As I said above, most people cope well, so don't be too concerned, just make sure everyone in your group keeps an eye on everyone else and you'll be fine. My other advice would be to make sure you acclimate at the VIS (usual advice is to spend 30 minutes there, but for first-time visitors I would suggest an hour) and to make sure you are well hydrated both before and during the trip. Dehydration is an issue at altitude and is the main reason people suffer headaches up there.

I hope you enjoy the trip!