Summary

This year, the Saudi Foundation Day holiday fell on Sunday, making the first weekend of Ramadan a long weekend. We planned to avail it for Umrah in Ramadan 2026. We booked Umrah slots for Saturday, February 21st, from 2 pm to 4 pm. The outline of our plan was:

• Friday: Travel to Ash Shafa and spend the night there.
• Saturday: Visit Makkah to perform Umrah, then return to Ash Shafa.
• Sunday: Depart from Ash Shafa and drive back to Riyadh.

Riyadh to Taif

Our journey began on Friday morning at around 11 am, which was later than ideal. The roads were empty, which was very unlike Riyadh. The navigation initially showed:

• Estimated time: 8 hours 16 minutes
• Distance: 830 km
• ETA: 7:16pm

Due to low traffic, consistent speed and fewer breaks, the ETA was adjusted to 5:48 p.m, which was comfortably before Iftar time. Eventually, we reached the hotel in Ash Shafa at 5:50 pm. The iftar time was 6:25 pm.

Traffic and Speed Limit Changes

There was almost a continuous queue of trucks along large portions of the highway. While this caused minor traffic in some areas, overall, the drive remained smooth and calm.

Previously:

• 120 km/h before Riyadh checkpost
• 140 km/h immediately after

Now:

• 120 km/h continues after the checkpost
• It increases to 140 km/h only after crossing Al Muzahmiyah
• Later, several long stretches dropped back to 120 km/h before returning to 140 km/h

Keep an eye on the speed limit signboards.

Police Checkposts & Speed Cameras

We observed:

• Multiple police checkpoints (including on the opposite side)
• Numerous tripod/temporary speed cameras

This route currently has strict enforcement, so maintaining speed discipline is essential.

Ash Shafa to Makkah

We had originally intended to start umrah after Zuhar, in the hope that we could perform the Tawaf in Mitaf, but after observing the live stream, we realized that Mitaf was full 24/7. Performing Tuwaf on the rooftop after Zuhar was not a good idea, so we planned to leave for Umrah after Fajr to avail cooler weather. We woke up at 4:30 am. Fajr was 5:29 am.

It was cold enough in Ash Shafa to require:

• Full-sleeve/winter shirt
• Jacket needed at Fajr

We left Ash Shafa around 5:45 am, traveled via the Hada route and reached the parking outside Makkah by 7:20 pm. This is called Hada Parking or Hada Bus Station. During Ramadan, cars from outside Makkah are not allowed to enter the city, especially if you are wearing an ihram, so we had to park our car in this parking and take a bus to the Haram. This restriction is to manage traffic in Makkah, and it is more convenient than trying to find parking near Haram. The bus ticket price was SAR 18.4 per adult. Kids were free. The prices were the same as last year.

Upon entering the parking area, we received one receipt (unlike last year when we received two receipts—one for your car and another for the bus ride). Keep this receipt safe. It was checked while boarding the bus and will be taken back while leaving the parking on your car. Carefully note down the location of your car so that it’s easier to find it upon your return.

Weather Conditions

• Fajr temperature in Ash Shafa: 8°C
• Around Al Hada: 11°C
• After descending toward Makkah: temperature rose into the 20s

Bus from Hada Parking to Haram

The buses were ready, and we only had to wait for a few minutes before departure. We left the parking lot around 7:40 am. Unlike last year, the Makkah roads had no traffic, thus this time of the day was much more suitable for traveling to the parking near Haram. We reached this parking near Haram at 8:16 am. It was near the Sheraton Makkah Jabal Al Kaaba Hotel. This parking is dedicated for buses going to and from Hada parking thus white returning, you will need to return to this parking to take your bus.

Performing Umrah

It is recommended that you see the crowd situation of Metaf on live stream before targeting it. We initially tried to go to the roof and were told Gate 66 had escalators. However, the roof level was closed. Thus, we returned to the 1st Floor and found it very less crowded. This helped us do Tawaf comfortably under the shade. The tawaf was complete at 9:50 am. After completing the Tawaf, there was space facing Maqam Ibrahimi to offer nafal and there was an entrance nearby to enter the Sa’ee area. We completed the Sa’ee around 10:50 am. It was not very crowded — though by the final round, crowd levels had increased. The preparations for Zuhar had already begun, although there were 1.5 hours in Zuhar.

Halq / Haircut

After Sa’ee, we went out of the indoor area of the masjid from the ground floor at Marwa and travelled to the Clock Tower for the haircut. On the left side of the entrance to the mall of the clock tower, there is a large barber shop named “30° Degrees Barbershop.” We reached there at 11: 08 am. It was bigger last year, but this year its size has been reduced. The price has increased and there was a queue. So overall, the user experience has decreased. They offer three services:

• Full head shave – SAR 25 (last year it was SAR 20)
• Haircut using scissors – SAR 25 (maybe)
• Haircut using a machine – SAR 20 (maybe)

Last year, the entrance from this part of the mall was one-way, which meant that while exiting the barbershop, you could not come out of the mall from where you entered. The exit was in front of Carrefour and Al Rajhi ATM (location provided below). This time, we didn’t face this restriction.

Bus from Haram to Hada Parking

After the haircut, we returned to the bus station near Sheraton Makkah Jabal Al Kaaba Hotel. The buses were ready, and after a short wait, we departed. The return journey took only about 30 minutes. After reaching the parking lot, we resumed our journey back to Ash Shafa in our car. While leaving the parking, we handed over the receipt to the guard.

To Ash Shafa and Riyadh

After reaching back in Ash Shafa, we took some rest. The next morning, we checked out of the hotel at around 10:40 am. Before leaving Ash Shafa, we stopped at a scenic viewpoint and spent 45 minutes there. We left Ash Shafa at 11:34 am. ETA to Riyadh was 7:49 pm. We reached back home around 6:45 pm.

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Previous Years

2025

Umrah in Ramadan 2025: A Road Trip from Riyadh (English, Urdu)

About the Speaker(s)/Author(s): Nauman Khan is a software engineer from Multan, Pakistan. He is the founder of The Clear Evidence initiative, urShadow’s Blog, which is ranked among the top 30 blogs for Saudi Arabia and one of the largest Facebook groups in Saudi Arabia. He completed his schooling from Multan and then completed his engineering from Islamabad, Pakistan. Since then he has been working in the technology domain for the leading corporations in the telecommunication industry in the Middle East region. He developed his first website in 2000 with a section on Islam. In 2008, he launched urShadow’s Blog with Come to Islam section, which has over 1,400 posts. In 2019, he launched The Clear Evidence initiative. For more details: Nauman Khan – LinkedIn