Umra trip by road

All praises to Almighty. I had the privilege of performing Umra during the last week of March 2011. A colleague of mine recommended Al Quds Travel (Bin Mahmoud) for arranging visa. They proved to be efficient and arranged it in the time they assured.

I wanted to travel by road and therefore used the information available on QL website. In addition another friend of mine sent me a route map, guide and some important information which proved to be very helpful and the same was also available on the QL website.

I got the car checked at the authorized dealer and had to replace all the four tyres. A wise investment I guess.

The first stop was at Salwa border. It took about 10 minutes at the Qatar border and about 1 hour at the Saudi border. After that it was an exciting drive to Riyadh through some wonderful sand storms. The distance from Doha to Riyadh is about 545 Kms. There are a good number of filling stations on the way with mosques, small restaurants and wash rooms. But very few are clean and well maintained. SASCO is a better option but all SASCO outlets are not maintained in good shape. Some of them are good and others are very bad. But they all serve one major purpose, fuel top-up. I found fuel cheap in Saudi Arabia. I stopped at Riyadh for the night. A number of furnished accommodations are available and most of them are good. I found price ranges from SAR 130/- to 200/- per night.

Next morning (6:00 AM) I left Riyadh for Makkah. The road sign read 880 Kms to Makkah. The journey through the mountains, rocks and sands was fantastic. Since it was a clear day, my family enjoyed it thoroughly. We reached Meeqat (Sail Al Kabeer) around 3:45 PM. After completing the Ihram formality, we started to Masjid Al Haram in Makkah which is about 90 Kms. We reached Haram by 5:30 PM. It was a thursday evening and the weekend crowd was showing. We found a paid parking building very close to Haram (about 600 meters) and opposite to Saudi Post building. They charge SR 5/- per hour. It is a decent place with security. I used this all through my 6 days of stay.

Alhamdullillah, we performed Umra and moved little away from Haram for stay. There is Makkah Concorde in Al Azizia North, which is about 5 kms away. It is a very good place and parking is not a problem here.

After 6 days, we travelled to Madinah, a distance of about 440 kms. The journey again proved to be exciting. We could see some green fields and lovely landscapes. The hotels were full but we managed to find a decent place within walkable distance from Masjid Nabvi. It is called Dar Al Rayan, Near Old Saptco bus stand and next to Pakistan Haj Mission building 1. Dar Al Rayan is an old building but Mustafa has done a decent job of maintaining it well. The two bedroom suites (at least 301) are really worth the money.

After 4 days, we started our return journey but not before visiting Masjid Quba and Masjid Qiblatain which are within a radius of 6 kms. There is a decent place on Abu Bakar Sidiq road called New Madina Hotel which serves Indian and Mughlai cuisine. The Hyderabadi biryani was really good.

The drive back to Riyadh was about 840 Kms and we stopped at Riyadh again for the night. Next day morning we started at 7:30 AM to Doha. The route is Via Dammam highway. On this highway, you will get an exit for Hofuf and on Hofuf road, you will find exit for Qatar. It took us 45 minutes to clear both Saudi and Qatari border formalities and were at home in Doha by 3:30 PM.

During our time in Saudi Arabia, we found the taxi drivers very helpful in guiding us with directions. Couple of them even drove along with us to helps us at no charge. I found this very touching. A Saudi taxi driver came with us for almost 6 kms to show us the Riyadh highway from Madina city. Jazakallah.

The Saudi police was very polite and helped us with a smile whenever we approached them for help. We were never stopped at any of the check points. All we did was slow down the vehicle and they would let us pass. Even the officials at the border were helpful and co-operative.

In the beginning, I had reservations about driving to Makkah and return. But Allah gave me strength and now I do not have hesitation in recommending the drive to any one with a decent vehicle and the ability to drive. But please get your car checked thoroughly.

The idea of posting my experience on this website is to help others as other posts have helped me. In case specific information is required, I may be reached on [email protected].

May the Almighty bless and protect us all.