Reviews of Hajj Agents/Operators in Saudi Arabia (English)

Please share your reviews using this form to help fellow Muslims performing Hajj

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Ministry of Hajj (MoH) Official Website in Saudi Arabia

In Arabic: وزارة الحج والعمرة – الرئيسية

In English: Ministry of Hajj and Umrah

Electronic Services: وزارة الحج والعمرة – Electronic Services

Contact: وزارة الحج والعمرة – Contact Us

Official Youtube Channel: Ministry of Hajj and Umrah وزارة الحج والعمرة – YouTube

Official Twitter Account: وزارة الحج والعمرة (@HajMinistry) / Twitter

Official Mobile App – Eatmarna:

• Android: Eatmarna – Apps on Google Play
• iOS: Eatmarna on the App Store

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Registration of Hajj Official Website in Saudi Arabia

In Arabic: موقع الحجز الإلكتروني لحجاج الداخل

In English: Local Haj Booking Portal

Hajj Packages Details: Packages – Local Haj Booking Portal

Licensed Hajj Operators Details: Hajj Operators – Local Haj Booking Portal

Official Adahi (Qurbani) Service: Adahi – Local Haj Booking Portal

FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) : FAQ – Local Haj Booking Portal

Helpline: 920002814

Email: [email protected]

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Reviews of Hajj Operators in Saudi Arabia

Hajj Operators in Riyadh

Muhammad Khalid Al Qudaimy (مؤسسة محمد خالد محمد قديمي), Riyadh

Language

This group speaks Arabic and English.

Contact

محائل – حي البلد – شارع الملك عبدالله (+966505751544)

Rates

In 2017: SR 4,300

Review

Muhammad Saad Akhlaque: Overall it was a nicely managed group. Most of the people in the group are Arabic speaking. The food was good but traditionally Arabic. The camp was normal and not too spacious. There were air coolers in the camps therefore, the atmosphere was a little bit hot inside the camp.

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Muhammad Bin Abdullh Bin Mehfooz, Riyadh

Language

This group speaks Arabic, English and Urdu.

Contact

‭+966507169224‬

Rates

In 2017: SR 8,999

Review

Anonymous: Very good and I strongly recommend this group for Pakistani and Indian families.

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“Saoud A. Al-Joma’a & Companions Co.” famously known as “Al-Joma’a”, Riyadh

This service has been working in Riyadh for last 28 years.

Language

This is an Arabic Speaking Group.

Contact

+966 505473639

Location

Coordinates: 24.592039,46.650111
Google Maps Link: http://goo.gl/maps/cfaPY

Rates

In 2013:

• SR 11,500 by Bus, Location: Category A, (600 for sacrifice)
• SR 13,400 by Plane, Location: Category A (600 for sacrifice)

Review

urShadow’s Blog: How to perform Hajj from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – Step by Step Guide (Updated)

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Asad Madni Group (AMG), Riyadh

It is operating since 1999. Their advertisement from 2015: urShadow’s Blog: Advertisement from Asad Madani Hajj Group for the year 2015

Language

This is a famous hajj service for Urdu speaking people.

Contact

Shaikh Asadullah Othman Madni:

• +966 50 342 5235
• +966 55 965 6109
• +966 54 158 6461

Shaikh Asad Madani: +966 503425235

Mahmood: +966 50 945 6721

Rates

In 2014:

• SR 7,000 by bus, Location: Mina Extension
• SR 9,500 by bus, Location: Location: Category B1
• 8,700 by Plane, Location: Mina Extension

In 2013 : SR 10,500

In 2012 : SR 5,000, Location: Category H

Review

Anonymous: Worst Service, no control of Mr. Asad Madni over Silfa Shirka organizers, terrible bus services. no cooling in camps, flight people have their flight delayed and reached on 8th Zilhaj due to unavailability of Boarding Passes/and unsurety. Please try some other agents (Please prefer Jeddah agents), they are much arranged and organized and real facility in the camps.

Anonymous: I would like to share my experience of Hajj with the Asad Madni group we took by air package which cost us 9200 per head including Qurbani and train. Our tasree and boarding passes were given before hand,Our flight was on time from riyadh and upon reaching jeddha airport we were guided towards our buses and after waiting for 1.5 hour in the bus for other passengers we left jeddha for makkah,Our ameer in the bus explained everything in detail as per his instructions he gave us all 5 hours for our sayeee and tawaf we reached makkah at 10.30 as we were alone without kids we managed to do our tawaf, sayee and food within 2.5 hrs then we came back to our bus as instructed our bus was chilled ac was on so it was a perfect environment to sleep bcoz the bus was empty, the last passenger came at 5 then we finally left for minna,upon reaching our tent we were guided to our rooms it was a large room consisting sofa cum beds on each was a bed no,ac were good at night but hot in day time as we all know saudias climate,the bathrooms were clean there were maids who are there to clean them at once it was impressive as it was imp to me, there were large fridges loaded with mineral water, soft drinks and juices, tea, coffee green and gahwa was 24hrz available with rainbow milk, food was average and daily we were given fruits 3 types plus sweet, breakfast was good, on arafat day we left the camp soon after fajer prayer so it was the best time as we didnt cross any crowd, our camp was very near to the station as we were in Mina extension, in arafat they gave us breakfast boxes and in lunchh yummyyy bakra mandi ac at arafat was bad then we left reached muzalifa no food was provided by the group but we had albaik someone was selling there, then back to mina rami was on us as we had those train bands,on the last day they arranged buses for haram and then. To Jeddah, while coming back they treat us with Pakistani nasta and for lunch, albaik or flight was on time and we reached Riyadh safely alhamdulillah Luckily all the fellow hajis were nice, clean people we had a great time too. We shared we laughed and prayed together there were around 10kids in my room but hardly any mess diapers were being disposed off properly no smell even in the toilets I can give 8/10 to this group alhamdulillah we had a good experience.

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Al Faris Hajj Group, Riyadh

Language

This is English Speaking Hajj Group.

Contact

• Khaled Al-Faris: +966544411306
• Website: Contact Us | الفارس الدولي للسفر والسياحة

Location

Their office is at the backside of Black Box (on King Fahad Road).

Rates

In 2014:

• SR 11,800 to SR 13,000 (700 for sacrifice)
• SR 4,000 for Low Cost Hajj

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Seera (Previously Al-Tayyar (AlFajr)) Hajj Group, Riyadh

Language

This group speaks Arabic, English and Urdu.

Website

‭Mawasim – Seera

Rates

In 2014: SR 14,800

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Al-Etkan, Riyadh

Language

This group speaks Arabic, English and Urdu.

Contact

• ‭+966114666688
• +966554414503

Location

Their office is near Olaya computer market, their board is visible from King Fahd road.

Rates

In 2017: SR 8,999

Review

Imran Rasul: My experience with Al-etkan has been good in 2009; Though they serve usually mandi/rice food.

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Al Athari Hajj Group, Riyadh

Language

Urdu Speaking Group.

Contact

• ‭+966530264732
• ‭+966530264775
• +966508579371

Location

6500 Ash shaikh Abdul Rahman Ibn Hasan, Al Wizarat, (Harra), Riyadh

Coordinates: 24.669233, 46.71170

Google Maps Link: https://goo.gl/maps/SEnsK

Rates

In 2014:

• SR 7,300 By Bus, Location: Category D1.
• SR 2500 (Low Cost Hajj without food and train tickets)
• SR 3,000 (Low Cost Hajj with food and train tickets)

Review

Anonymous: A review I am writing this to benefit all those who plan on going for Hajj next year InshAllah and are looking for groups. We went with the Athari/Ethari group. Their office is in Hara and it is an Indian group. They were charging SAR 7800 this year inclusive of a round-trip bus ride from Riyadh to Mina and Qurbani.

Our tasreeh was given to us on time. Everything was well organized in that department.

The bus ride. We were supposed to reach at 6.00 am to the designated venue so the buses could leave by 7. But because some people were late (as there were about 22 buses) we left at around 8 or 9. I don’t remember. But at that point, you are so excited that waiting does not matter. Our bus was in bad luck as we had a Jordanian number plate and while the remaining 20 buses got ahead, ours got stuck at a checkpoint which sent us back to Riyadh. After some more delays, we reached Makkah for the first Tawaf and Sayee after 24 hours of traveling. To be honest, I did not feel tired at all because I slept most of the way and we stopped often for food and snacks.

We reached the Mina camp early morning on the 7th (If I am correct. Very bad with dates and times). It was an ordinary camp – lots of rooms. Carpeted flooring. small mattresses lined side by side. The bigger halls accommodated up to 60-70 women whereas I opted to stay in the small room which had about 18 women. When I reached the ACs weren’t working and there was no water. Apparently, this is from the Government’s side and they had not yet opened these two facilities since most pilgrims were going to arrive the next day. Anyway, after 2-3 hrs they opened. But the ACS were still not working. There was just fan-type air coming from the ac vents. I was extremely annoyed but after calling a few people who were in other groups (more expensive ones) I found out that all the camps in Mina had this common problem. So overall, during the daytime, it was EXTREMELY hot but at night it got very cool and easy to sleep.

Bathrooms. The Mina camp from Ethari had horrible bathrooms. But again, all camps have more or less the same. Our good luck was that the government public toilets were opposite our camp and on the first day, it was easy to use those since the illegal pilgrims hadn’t arrived and the washrooms were extremely new and clean. But afterward, it was impossible to use them. I think the Ethari group should have arranged for female cleaners to clean the women’s side bathrooms. And I also think that women need to STOP being so dirty. Some of the women in our camp were so filthy they were throwing dirty diapers and used pads in the bathrooms and even in the wuzu area!!! I was really disgusted since cleanliness is such a big part of our religion and no one seemed to notice the dustbins.

Traveling. Ethari group had arranged for a good system to travel at all the right times. We had the train tickets for Arafat and Muzdalifah and to use on our own too for Jamarat. So even though our camp was very far from Jamarat, it was close to the train station which landed us directly at the Jamarat. Additionally, they picked the perfect times to reach and leave Arafat before the rush started and we had a very, very good experience compared to other people.

Food. It was ordinary. I hardly ate. I took my own biscuits and snacks. Only once or twice it was worth eating. There was usually one main course per meal. And fruits sometimes. There were coolers with water and soft drinks in all the camps. I think overall we had a fairly decent experience.

Our camp in Arafat was excellent. It was comparable to the camps of Al-Faris, as I exchanged pictures and facilities with my friends who were in that camp. And their price was double yet services were almost the same. Also, on the way back we got our own air tickets, which was great because, in the end, you are so tired you just want to go home. Overall, I would recommend this group, for those looking to go on a budget yet with decent facilities. I hope this is helpful. PS. One negative point was that kids were allowed. I think people should NOT be allowed to bring kids under 14 to hajj. Because those kids were occupying space, they were creating a mess and they were falling ill. I felt so bad for the poor children having to walk/sit in the heat for so long. Some of them fell really ill too. If you plan to go for hajj pleaseeeeeee arrange to have someone babysit your kids. It’s just one week! Don’t torture them like this.

Muhammad Noman Khan: My experience was excellent. Especially for families.

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Hajj Operators in Jeddah

Al Athari Hajj Group, Jeddah

Language

Urdu Speaking Group.

Contact

• +966530264694
• +966554902022
• +966508579371

Location

6500 Ash shaikh Abdul Rahman Ibn Hasan, Al Wizarat, (Harra), Riyadh

Coordinates: 24.669233, 46.71170

Google Maps Link: https://goo.gl/maps/SEnsK

Rates

In 2014:

• SR 7,300 By Bus, Location: Category D1.
• SR 2500 (Low Cost Hajj without food and train tickets)
• SR 3,000 (Low Cost Hajj with food and train tickets)

Review

Anonymous: A review I am writing this to benefit all those who plan on going for Hajj next year InshAllah and are looking for groups. We went with the Athari/Ethari group. Their office is in Hara and it is an Indian group. They were charging SAR 7800 this year inclusive of a round-trip bus ride from Riyadh to Mina and Qurbani.

Our tasreeh was given to us on time. Everything was well organized in that department.

The bus ride. We were supposed to reach at 6.00 am to the designated venue so the buses could leave by 7. But because some people were late (as there were about 22 buses) we left at around 8 or 9. I don’t remember. But at that point, you are so excited that waiting does not matter. Our bus was in bad luck as we had a Jordanian number plate and while the remaining 20 buses got ahead, ours got stuck at a checkpoint which sent us back to Riyadh. After some more delays, we reached Makkah for the first Tawaf and Sayee after 24 hours of traveling. To be honest, I did not feel tired at all because I slept most of the way and we stopped often for food and snacks.

We reached the Mina camp early morning on the 7th (If I am correct. Very bad with dates and times). It was an ordinary camp – lots of rooms. Carpeted flooring. small mattresses lined side by side. The bigger halls accommodated up to 60-70 women whereas I opted to stay in the small room which had about 18 women. When I reached the ACs weren’t working and there was no water. Apparently, this is from the Government’s side and they had not yet opened these two facilities since most pilgrims were going to arrive the next day. Anyway, after 2-3 hrs they opened. But the ACS were still not working. There was just fan-type air coming from the ac vents. I was extremely annoyed but after calling a few people who were in other groups (more expensive ones) I found out that all the camps in Mina had this common problem. So overall, during the daytime, it was EXTREMELY hot but at night it got very cool and easy to sleep.

Bathrooms. The Mina camp from Ethari had horrible bathrooms. But again, all camps have more or less the same. Our good luck was that the government public toilets were opposite our camp and on the first day, it was easy to use those since the illegal pilgrims hadn’t arrived and the washrooms were extremely new and clean. But afterward, it was impossible to use them. I think the Ethari group should have arranged for female cleaners to clean the women’s side bathrooms. And I also think that women need to STOP being so dirty. Some of the women in our camp were so filthy they were throwing dirty diapers and used pads in the bathrooms and even in the wuzu area!!! I was really disgusted since cleanliness is such a big part of our religion and no one seemed to notice the dustbins.

Traveling. Ethari group had arranged for a good system to travel at all the right times. We had the train tickets for Arafat and Muzdalifah and to use on our own too for Jamarat. So even though our camp was very far from Jamarat, it was close to the train station which landed us directly at the Jamarat. Additionally, they picked the perfect times to reach and leave Arafat before the rush started and we had a very, very good experience compared to other people.

Food. It was ordinary. I hardly ate. I took my own biscuits and snacks. Only once or twice it was worth eating. There was usually one main course per meal. And fruits sometimes. There were coolers with water and soft drinks in all the camps. I think overall we had a fairly decent experience.

Our camp in Arafat was excellent. It was comparable to the camps of Al-Faris, as I exchanged pictures and facilities with my friends who were in that camp. And their price was double yet services were almost the same. Also, on the way back we got our own air tickets, which was great because, in the end, you are so tired you just want to go home. Overall, I would recommend this group, for those looking to go on a budget yet with decent facilities. I hope this is helpful. PS. One negative point was that kids were allowed. I think people should NOT be allowed to bring kids under 14 to hajj. Because those kids were occupying space, they were creating a mess and they were falling ill. I felt so bad for the poor children having to walk/sit in the heat for so long. Some of them fell really ill too. If you plan to go for hajj pleaseeeeeee arrange to have someone babysit your kids. It’s just one week! Don’t torture them like this.

Muhammad Noman Khan: My experience was excellent. Especially for families.

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شركة ركب الهدى لخدمات حجاج الداخل (Rakb Huda), Jeddah

Language

This group speaks Arabic and little English.

Contact

Engineer Ali Al Amoudi – +966 55 550 5472

Rates

In 2017:

• Cost: SR 6,933 per person
• Qurbani: SR 460 per person
• Total: SR 7,393 per person

Review

Talal Tashfeen: Our tent was in Camp B of Mina and the location was amazing with reference to Jamarat.

Day 1/2 on the 7th and 8th of Zilhaj was not very good. We were given the time that buses will leave between 9 pm and 11 pm but the buses actually left at 12.20 am, with us reaching Makkah around Fajr time. I do not blame the company for the delay in arrival as buses of all the companies were late as the police was checking each bus one by one. However, sadly our guide told us that we only have time to do tawaf and not the Saee! Because of that, we rushed, did our tawaf and came back within 3 hours while the bus did not move for another 3 hours! That was sufficient time to do the tawaf and saee in a peaceful manner. Because of this, we had to do the Saee separately on another day (we were doing hajj qiran). When we reached our Mina camps at around 10 am, the AC was not working for most of the day and half the bathrooms had a water problem. That was really disappointing and contributed to no rest at all. We had sofa beds which were quite comfortable though. Around 40-50 people in a tent.

Day 3 of 9th Zilhaj in Arafat was amazing. They brought us through trains the night before around midnight. The tent was right smack in front of the train station and was huge, amazingly airconditioned and mattresses, pillows and quilts were provided. Got the best sleep which contributed to focused ibadah at the time of actual wuqoof between Zuhr and Maghrib. They also had huge speakers through which they transmissioned the khutbah and salah. Plenty of bathrooms were available as well. Going from Arafat to Muzdalifah took us 2.5 hours and in Muzdalifah, they had a cordoned off camp with mattresses and pillows provided as well. It is another story that it is near impossible to sleep in Muzdalifah 🙂 The camp in Muzdalifah was in front of the train station too and public toilets were nearby.

Day 4 of 10th Zilhaj – we went from Muzdalifa to Jamarat directly by train where we did the stoning. The camp’s problems were now fixed with all ACs working and with the bathrooms with proper water availability as well. We rested this day and went to Haram ourselves at night for Tawaf e Ifadah/Ziarah/Hajj and the Saee for Hajj. This of course was quite hectic but not of any fault of the agent who did not provide facility of this tawaf. Of course, if our guide had let us do the saee on the first day, we could have just combined this Tawaf with Tawaf e Wida on the last day.

Day 5 of 11th Zilhaj was mostly resting and sleeping. We went for the stoning on our own after Asr. We left walking at 4.50 pm and were back in our tent after stoning at 6.00 pm Alhamdulillah after 1 hour and 10 minutes. There was no need for any train.

Day 6 was Tawaf e wida and we left ourselves with another family to Jeddah; otherwise, this group was a Mutakhir group and left on day 7 on the 13th of Zilhaj. I heard from the others that there was some delay in the buses moving on this day as well.

The food on all days was Arabic and difficult to eat as the taste was quite bland. The lines to get the food were quite long at times. Snacks, juices, laban, tea and water were readily available such as croissants and cupcakes and many times we ended up eating those only. Proper, packaged food was given even in Muzdalifah and we never even touched the snacks we brought ourselves throughout the trip.

Overall, I give them 3.5 out of 5 because the first day was very badly organized. Post that day, everything was wonderfully done.

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