Travel Guide: The Umrah Pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia
Your DIY guide to planning your trip to Makkah (Mecca) and Madinah (Medina).
I was fortunate to complete my first Umrah pilgrimage in 2022. I had always associated travel to Saudi Arabia with a lot of complexity: a long flight, complicated visas, working with travel agents, booking expensive group trips, and having to travel with others, especially as a single woman.
But, in recent years, a lot of that has changed: you can travel to Saudi Arabia and complete an Umrah on a tourist e-visa which you can apply for online and receive confirmation on within 24 hours; as of 2022, solo women travelers can undertake the Umrah pilgrimage without a male relative (Mahram); and the logistics of planning and booking the trip and traveling within the country are fairly straight forward.
It should not be intimidating or hard to plan a trip for Umrah. But, from my own perception before I went to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) myself, and from the questions I have received from others about the Umrah experience and how to do it, it’s clear that some informal direction would be helpful. And that’s how this guide was conceived.
Traveling to Saudi Arabia is easy and I would do it again as a solo woman traveler knowing what I know now. I hope that you find this guide helpful.
What is the Umrah Pilgrimage?
There are five pillars in Islam: the fifth and final pillar is Hajj or the pilgrimage to Makkah.
Muslims who are physically and financially able to are required to complete the Hajj pilgrimage at least once in their lifetime. Hajj happens at a specific time of the year per the Islamic Lunar calendar — in the 12th month during a five day period. In 2024, those dates were June 14–19.
During Hajj, approximately 2 million Muslims travel to Makkah, Saudi Arabia. The present pattern of Hajj was established by Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and components of Hajj pre-date Islam — dating back to the time of Prophet Abraham.
Umrah is a lesser pilgrimage that also takes place in Makkah and can be undertaken at any time of year. There is a hadith (sayings of the Prophet or accounts about him) that equates performing Umrah during Ramadan to Hajj.
When someone returns from completing Hajj or Umrah — fellow Muslims greet them with “Hajj Mubarak” or “Umrah Mubarak” to congratulate them on completing a significant spiritual journey.
Travel Logistics: Traveling to Saudi Arabia
Travel Visa. As mentioned above, you can apply online for a tourist e-visa which is all you need for Umrah. You do need a special Hajj visa if you intend to perform Hajj, though.
Jet Lag. The time difference between the United States and Saudi Arabia is significant and the resulting jet lag is intense. My recommendation would be to leave yourself at least 2–3 buffer days at the beginning of your trip to get used to the time difference and to get on the daylight schedule of KSA as soon as you land.
However, I also acknowledge that the reality is that you likely won’t have a set schedule once you arrive in Makkah — you’ll likely be up late and early for prayers at Masjid al-Haram anyway, and sleep will take a back seat. However, you want to be fully present to absorb his experience, not wander about in a mental haze, exhausted by jet lag.
Some tips I have for acclimatizing to jet lag: get your digestive system on your new time zone from the time you land in the country; exercise in the morning (this helps snap your digestive system into the time zone); and try to spend some time in the sun first thing in the morning (20–30 minutes) to help your body internalize the new time zone you are in. Also, consult your doctor about taking a sleep aid because that can be helpful in the first few days you are acclimatizing to a new time zone.
Weather. It gets very hot in Saudi Arabia, especially in Mecca. When I was there in mid-April, the high temperatures were around 100 degrees fahrenheit (~37 degrees celsius). Temperatures are more mild in the winter months; scorching in the summer months.
Time of Year. The winter months and the month of Ramadan are the peak times to travel to KSA to perform Umrah.
Length of Stay. I would recommend staying anywhere from 7–14 days to make the most of your trip. The trip that I outline below was 9 days end-to-end. And I do wish I had stayed longer.
Hijab in and Around Mosques. I was critiqued by other women worshippers regarding my hijab and head coverings in various mosques throughout my time in Makkah and Madinah. It was maybe 3–4 women in total, but it did happen multiple times in multiple places in both cities.
FYI, I am not a hijabi in my day-to-day life, and I wear a head covering in a more casual Pakistani style. Before my Umrah, I was not aware of how strict the covering is expected to be culturally — neck covered, no hair showing, and long sleeved shirts under the abaya. The photos below will reflect this.
Please note that this did not happen to me in transit or other public places where I sometimes (although rarely) did not cover my head.
Bring a Bag for Your Shoes and Socks for Your Feet. Do not, and I repeat, do not leave your shoes in a communal space when you go to pray at the mosques. They will get grabbed up by someone else who is not paying attention, and thinks your shoes are their shoes. This didn’t happen to me (because I brought a bag and carried my shoes with me), but this did happen to many people around me. And bring socks to cover your feet within the mosques while you pray.
Traveling to Makkah: Arriving in Jeddah
I traveled to KSA with my father and stepmother. I was temporarily based in the UAE at the time, which meant that I was accustomed to the time zone, a big advantage. My father and stepmother visited me for a week in advance to acclimatize to the time difference from the United States, and then we all flew to KSA together.
The flight time from Dubai to Jeddah was 3 hours. Upon arrival in Jeddah, we got a taxi to drive us out to Makkah which takes about an hour by car. If you’re going with a car, I’d recommend getting a metered taxi to drive you instead of a private car — it’s way less expensive.
However, I will use the Haramain high speed train to get from Jeddah airport to Makkah in the future. There is a station in the Jeddah airport that takes you straight to Makkah in less than an hour. Trains run to Makkah from the Jeddah airport from a bit after 6am until just after 9pm.
One thing to note about the high speed train is that they specify their baggage allowance before you book your ticket — you have to click ‘I understand.’ They allow for one full size piece of luggage and one “handbag” per person. Although my experience was that no one enforced this policy, if you are traveling during one of the peak travel periods — I’d be cautious and try to adhere to the policy to make sure you are not out of luck in case they do decide to enforce it.
Arriving in Makkah (Mecca)
We were taken straight to our hotel since we hired a taxi. We stayed at the DoubleTree by Hilton Jabal Omar which is technically only a 9 minute walk to Masjid al-Haram, the Great Mosque of Mecca which houses the Kaaba, Islam’s holiest site.
The area around the masjid used to be hills and mountains and most of it was blown up to develop into hotels and places of accommodations for pilgrims (‘Jabal’ means ‘mountain’ in Arabic).
Although you could technically walk from the DoubleTree to the masjid, I wouldn’t recommend it because it is a weird walk — you will have to walk on the road with cars at some point (limited sidewalk on this route), and there is a hotel shuttle that takes you down to near the masjid.
We arrived in Makkah at night and settled into our hotel. We were visiting during Ramadan which meant fasting during the day, and Muslim countries are typically slower during the daytime and alive at night during Ramadan.
The next day, I woke up for suhoor, the pre-dawn meal during Ramadan, prayed in the hotel (all five prayers were broadcast from Masjid al Haram via an intercom system directly into the hotel rooms), and met my father and stepmom to take the shuttle down to the area closer to the masjid to look at the Kaaba for the first time.
My father and stepmother had performed the Umrah in the past and had seen the Kaaba before, but the “first look” is special on each trip, and people suggest making a special prayer (dua) upon seeing it for the first time.
The Kaaba is considered the House of God by Muslims, and was constructed by Prophet Abraham. Muslims physically pray in the direction of the Kaaba, and the direction of prayer is known as the ‘qibla’ in Arabic.
In early Islam, the direction of the qibla was originally Jerusalem for Muslim prayer. However, the direction of prayer changed from Jerusalem to Makkah after the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) received a revelation from God to do so when he was praying at Masjid Qiblatain in Madinah in 624 AD.
Even though it is no longer the direction that Muslims pray, the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem is the third holiest site in Islam, after 1) the Kaaba in Makkah, and 2) the Prophet’s Mosque (Masjid al Nabawi) in Madinah.
Performing Umrah
We performed our Umrah on our second day in Makkah. We waited until the evening, when it was less hot and we thought it would be less crowded.
It was still very crowded.
Umrah has specific rituals and prayers associated with it. I’ll cover some of the high-level in this piece, but you can learn more about the specific details here.
Miqat and Entering Ihram at Masjid Aisha
To perform Umrah, you must first enter a state of Ihram at a Miqat. There are designated places to do this; one of the locations is Masjid Aisha. This site is where the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) wife Hadhrat Aisha entered the state of Ihram for her Umrah.
We tried to get a cab to Masjid Aisha at first, but we redirected to a shuttle bus system that had been setup to reduce traffic congestion. The buses were shuttling pilgrims to different points, including Masjid Aisha.
We arrived at Masjid Aisha and offered prayers there. After a bit, we headed back to the shuttle to return to Masjid al-Haram to continue our Umrah.
Completing Umrah at Masjid al Haram
The dream is to complete Umrah at the lower level of Masjid al Haram, near the Mataf, the area immediately surrounding the Kaaba. However, once this level fills up with pilgrims, others are pushed to upper levels of the masjid surrounding the Kaaba. My family and I were directed to level two to complete the remaining rituals of our Umrah.
These upper levels are where the elderly who cannot walk and people with disabilities are able to complete Umrah in wheelchairs, too. Family members can push the wheelchairs or there are also designated workers who can help do so.
Additionally, for people with disabilities, although wheelchairs are not allowed on the Mataf floor, walkers and canes are allowed there. If the pilgrim can use a walker or cane, they can access the Mataf using it.
The thing about the upper levels is that you are covering a much larger perimeter of the Kaaba than if you were offering Tawaf at the Mataf, so you are walking a lot more than you would if you were on the bottom level of the Masjid which has a tighter perimeter around the Kaaba. This means it takes longer to complete your Umrah.
While I have heard accounts of Umrah being completed relatively quickly, our respective Umrahs took hours. From boarding the first shuttle bus to head to Masjid Aisha to exiting Masjid al Haram after completing the Umrah: 5 hours end-to-end.
Umrah is a life changing experience and mine didn’t really fully hit me until I returned home.
Length of Stay. We stayed in Makkah for a total of five (5) days end-to-end, including the night of our arrival and the day of our departure.
My Experience in Makkah
The atmosphere was happy and global. There were people there from all over the world and they were all so happy to be there. The mood everywhere I went was congenial. Everyone spoke different languages but found ways to communicate with each other. And everyone was willing to give each other a hand. I felt very safe in Makkah, and like I could go anywhere around the Masjid at all hours by myself.
It’s a holy city and I recommend wearing an abaya and scarf in public spaces and places. Although this is not mandatory in Saudi Arabia for women, it is still common practice in Makkah and Madinah, specifically. The majority of women do because these places are associated with worship.
Five daily prayers. Everything closes down at prayer times — shops, restaurants, etc. Many of the shopkeepers close down their businesses and head to the masjid to pray.
Places to eat. Since it was Ramadan, there were only two main meals during the day — suhoor (pre-dawn) and iftar (sunset). I had suhoor at my hotel each morning — there was a buffet that served it very early in the morning. And for iftar, my family and I headed to mostly Pakistani restaurants near Masjid al-Haram (parents’ choice).
Beware of inappropriate touching. Umrah can be packed, like it was during the Ramadan period during ours, and there will be packed spaces and people pushing up against you.
There was one instance when we were waiting for a shuttle bus from Masjid al-Haram to Masjid Aisha for our Miqat that I felt like a man was pushing up against me with no reason to; just because he could.
I have heard second hand from other women that they have had women friends who have been inappropriately touched or grabbed (backside) while they perform their Umrah.
The reality is that these men can get in a lot of trouble for this type of behavior in Saudi Arabia, and this behavior negates all the spiritual benefits they receive in these holy cities and by completing their Umrah. Hopefully, this is not something you will need to worry about or encounter, but I did want to share this as a heads up just in case.
The Cave of Hira, Jabal al-Nour. This is where Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) sought solitude and received his first Quranic revelations from Allah (God) via Angel Jibra’il (Gabriel) at the age of 40 in the year 609 AD which led to the birth of Islam.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to hike up to the cave of Hira on this visit to Makkah, but my father made it on this trip.
Final day in Makkah. On our final day in Makkah, I headed down to the Masjid al-Haram one final time to complete a farewell Tawaaf at the Kaaba. I went mid-morning, around 10am. It was already around ~95 degrees fahrenheit and this was the time of day that the least amount of people were at the Masjid because it was the longest stretch of time in between prayers (Fajr and Zuhr). This was the only time during my time in Makkah that I was able to make it to the Mataf and directly in front of the Kaaba.
I sat in front of the Kaaba for a while taking it all in one final time.
I then performed my farewell Tawaaf for this initial trip.
It was an amazing experience that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.
After I exited the masjid following my farewell Tawaaf, I went directly to one of the gold shops to purchase something for me and my mother, who was not on the trip, as a keepsake for my first Umrah.
There are many gold shops throughout Makkah and buying a souvenir is a great way to memorialize the trip. Many years ago, when I was a little girl and my father visited Saudi Arabia for his first Umrah, he bought me a set of bangles that he put aside for my wedding jewelry. In South Asian families, gold jewelry is gifted to a bride when she gets married.
Leaving Makkah for Madinah on the high speed train. For this leg of the trip, I traveled on the high speed train.
Due to the luggage limits, I made this leg of the journey solo as my dad and stepmom had more luggage than the high speed rail website specified and had to make the journey by bus.
It is 2.25 hours from Makkah to Madinah non-stop on high speed rail (there are some train departures that make 1–3 stops). The journey is roughly 4.5 hours by car. The cost of my single business class ticket at the time was $160 USD.
I loved watching the scenery between Makkah and Madinah on the train. These were the lands that Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) crossed in his journeys between the two cities, including during the Hijrah. Here’s a TikTok video I made documenting the journey.
Arriving in Madinah (Medina)
In Madinah, we stayed at the Pullman Zamzam Hotel which was a short walk from the second holiest site in Islam, Masjid al Nabawi or the Prophet’s Mosque.
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) not only worshiped at Masjid al Nabawi during his lifetime, but is also buried at the masjid under a green dome.
His grave site is called Roza Rasool and is a site to offer prayers, although it is extremely hard to get access to due to demand. My father was able to make it in during this trip, both times in the middle of the night. I was not able to but I also did not try in the middle of the night.
Here is a tour of the beauty of Masjid al Nabawi…
Points of Interest in Madinah
Madinah is full of the history of the early years of Islam, and the life of the Prophet (peace be upon him). It was wonderful to visit these sites, and I’d encourage you to make sure you do so when you visit Madinah.
Masjid Qiblatain (Mosque of the Two Qiblas). This is the masjid where Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was leading prayer when he received direction from Allah to change the qibla (direction of prayer) from Jerusalem to the Kaaba in Makkah in 624 AD. This mosque is one of the earliest mosques in Madinah.
Masjid Quba. This mosque is significant because it was the first mosque built by Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) after he migrated to Madinah from Makkah. He participated in laying some of the stones used in its foundation.
The Seven Mosques Complex. This is a group of small mosques on the site where the Battle of the Trench against the Quraysh tribe took place in 627 AD.
Dhul Hulayfah Miqat Mosque. This mosque is the site and miqat where Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) entered the state of Ihram before performing Umrah after the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah in 628 AD.
Masjid al-Jummah. This mosque is the site where Prophet Muhammad led his first jummah prayer shortly after his migration (the Hijrah in 622 AD) from Makkah to Madinah.
Sayed Al-Shuhada Mosque. This mosque sits on the site where the Battle of Uhud took place in 625 AD.
Jannat ul-Baqi. This cemetery is the oldest Islamic cemetery in Madinah. It’s located near the Prophet’s Mosque. This cemetery is the resting place of many of Prophet Muhammad’s (peace be upon him) family members and companions.
The cemetery was a beautiful site before it was demolished twice to be in line with Wahhabi religious standards.
It is now an empty lot with unmarked graves.
Uthman Ibn Affan’s Well. This is the only well in Madinah from Prophet Muhammad’s (peace be upon him) time that still exists today. In the Prophet’s time, the well was purchased by Uthman Ibn Affan and made a Waqf (a philanthropic deed in perpetuity) for all people to drink freely.
Al Baik. This fried chicken chain is everywhere over KSA and I highly recommend it. There’s a location very close to the Prophet’s Mosque.
My Experience in Madinah
Personal Safety. Whereas I felt safe to go anywhere in central Makkah at all hours, I did not feel the same in all parts of Madinah. I felt comfortable walking solo from my hotel to the Prophet’s Mosque or checking out the shops that were adjacent to my hotel, but venturing out any further solo felt uncomfortable. There were a lot of men, most of whom were not Saudi, who were out together in groups. Nothing happened and they didn’t try or say anything but they did stare.
Length of Stay. We stayed in Madinah for a total of four (4) days end-to-end, including the day of our arrival and the day of our departure.
Leaving Madinah for Jeddah on the High Speed Train
For our journey from Madinah to Jeddah, we all took the high speed train from the Madinah station. I was nervous about the luggage situation, but no one checked the number of pieces we had and it was a non-issue.
The ride was roughly 1 hour and 45 minutes, and would have been nearly 4 hours by car. The cost of three economy class tickets at the time was a total of $151 USD.
Departing from Jeddah
We were in Jeddah overnight only to transit out of the country. Jeddah is Saudi Arabia’s second largest city after Riyadh, the capital, and is a coastal city located on the Red Sea. We didn’t get to do much in Jeddah, and I will have to visit the tomb of Eve (of Adam and Eve) the next time I am there.
Reflections on My First Umrah
I feel so grateful to have had this experience and to have shared it with my father. Many people talk about going for Umrah later on in their life, but I encourage you to do it with your parents within their lifetime.
The days and weeks that followed my return home following my Umrah were incredibly emotional. This was a hard experience to leave behind and move forward from. I am so grateful that I had the chance to exist in the places I had learned about since I was a small child; places that felt so far away from where I grew up in Round Rock, Texas.
I’d advise you to be fully present during your Umrah and to think critically about the actions you are taking, the prayers you are reciting, and the thoughts you are having. It’s easy to move through the motions or follow directions to check this experience off a list, but it’s a transformative experience to actively pursue it with your full heart and soul.
It was a transformative experience for me, and I look forward to returning to Makkah and Madinah in the future.
