Some pilgrims fly into Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz International Airport and go directly to Makkah for Umrah. It is a long trip after a flight, with a miqat stop on the way. This page is about that specific journey. If you want to visit Madinah first and go to Makkah later, see Madinah to Makkah.
Meeting your driver
Send us your flight number, the date and the number of passengers and bags. The driver is arranged around your actual arrival. After immigration and baggage claim, you go to the car and the journey starts. Tell us if your arrival time changes.
Arriving at Madinah Airport
International arrivals at Madinah Airport
Baggage claim 6 at Madinah Airport
Baggage carousel at Madinah Airport
Aircraft and ground handling at Madinah Airport
The stop at Dhul Hulayfah
The airport is close to Madinah, and the road to Makkah passes Dhul Hulayfah (Abyar Ali), where pilgrims commonly enter ihram. Many pilgrims wash and wear ihram at the hotel or at the miqat, so tell us your plan. If you do not want to go into Madinah first, we drive straight there from the airport.
We arrange the stop. Questions about the rites are for your group leader or a qualified scholar.
Send your pickup, destination, date and passengers and we will confirm the vehicle and price.
Keep your ihram clothing within reach
If you plan to change at the miqat, keep your ihram clothing in your hand luggage, not in a suitcase in the boot. The driver can stop, but it is easier if what you need is on your lap. Tell us how many bags you have so a Premium SUV, which takes five passengers and four bags, or a Luxury Van, which takes eight passengers and six bags, is sent as needed.
A very long day
With the flight, the airport, the miqat and 450 km on the road, this is often more than ten hours from take-off to the hotel. Pilgrims arriving with children or older relatives should plan for it, and consider whether to break the journey in Madinah. If you rest first, we can take you from the airport to your hotel, and you can book Madinah to Makkah for the next day.
Arriving in Makkah
The closest practical drop-off to the Masjid al-Haram can change with the crowds. Tell us your hotel name before you arrive. If you plan to perform Umrah straight away, tell us, and discuss where your bags will go.
Why this transfer is different from a normal airport run
Most airport transfers are short. This one is a five-hour drive across the Hejaz that begins with a queue for immigration. Pilgrims who fly into Madinah usually do so because the first part of their trip is the Prophet's Mosque, so by the time they are on this road they may already have spent days in the city. If that is you, the airport pickup is probably the departure leg of the journey, with a hotel checkout earlier the same day.
In that case, send us the checkout time as well as the flight, because we need to know whether you are coming from the hotel or arriving off a plane. The two are planned in different ways even if the destination is the same.
Getting ready for ihram before you leave
If you intend to enter ihram at Dhul Hulayfah, it is easier to prepare at the hotel than in the airport arrivals hall. Wash, wear what you need and keep spare ihram sets in hand luggage. The practical details are for your scholar or tour operator, but we can plan the stop and the pickup time so that you are not rushing through prayer to make up time lost to a delayed flight.
Splitting the journey
Some families prefer to break the trip with a night in a hotel on the way, or to spend a day in Madinah first and travel on later. If that suits you, we can arrange the airport pickup to the Madinah hotel, and a separate Madinah to Makkah transfer on the day you choose. It adds a booking but lets you rest after the flight.