Umrah package costs SR200 per pilgrim from Riyadh

Umrah packages organized annually by travel operators have been rescheduled to Thursday instead of Wednesdays in line with the new weekend days recently introduced by the government.
Due to the rush of Ramadan, local travel operators have also raised the price of weekend Umrah packages from SR100 to SR200 per pilgrim coming from Riyadh.
According to the Anwar Bader Est., a leading travel operator in the capital, the weekend Umrah package now begins on Thursday and ends at midnight on Saturday.
There are nearly 250 Umrah travel operators in the capital, but many are located in the city center of Batha.
For pilgrims seeking to travel to Madinah to visit the Prophet’s Mosque during Ramadan en route to Makkah, the cost will increase by SR 100. In addition, accommodation can be upgraded to a four-star hotel in the holy city for an additional payment of SR100 per pilgrim.
According to a travel operator in the city, the weekend package to Makkah and Madinah starts at 4 p.m. and leaves from Riyadh on Thursday, with buses returning at midnight on Saturday.
Each family is given a large room, with three bachelors sharing one room. Children under the age of 12 pay half the fare.
An official at Anwar Al-Shareefain, a travel agent, said a five-day package to Makkah and Madinah, which includes travel and accommodation, would cost a pilgrim SR450. The offer includes a two-day stay at a three-star hotel in Madinah and another two-day stay at a similar hotel in Makkah.
The journey begins on Tuesday and ends on Saturday. Pilgrims leave Makkah after Dhuhr prayers on Saturday in order to arrive in Riyadh around midnight.
During the journey, coaches stop at three points for dinner, sahoor and at the “meeqat” in Taif for pilgrims to change into their ihram (unstitched clothing required for male pilgrims). Pilgrims are given half an hour to don their ihrams at the “meeqat,” so that they can make it for Fajr in Makkah.
The dawah centers in the city organize Umrah packages free of charge for single Muslims in the capital. According to Maulvi Ramzan of the Rawdah Center, there will be weekly trips to Makkah only for this segment of Muslims in the Kingdom. The first trip is set to take place this Thursday.
Local hotels in Madinah, in liaison with local tour operators, have arranged city tours to historical sites. The places of interest include Quba Mosque, the first mosque built by the Prophet, peace be upon him, in Madinah, Qiblatain Mosque and the graveyard on the foothills of Mount Uhud where the Prophet’s companions were martyred.
The “meeqat” points include Dhul Hulayfah, 9 km from Madinah; Juhfah, 190 km to the northwest of Makkah; Qarn Al-Manazil, 90 km to the east of Makkah; Dhat Irq, 85 km northeast of Makkah; and Yalamlam, 50 km southeast of Makkah.