Umrah Trips for Reverts: General advice for your Umrah Trip!
Free Advice Service: How To Perform Umrah
Free Advice Service:
One of our key services is providing free tailored advice to any revert wishing to perform Umrah.
Our advice covers:
- Logistics (visas, hotels, train tickets & transfers)
- Islamic Preparation for reverts during their Umrah experience
- Essential places to visit in Makkah & Madinah during a trip
We also offer reverts a free live 1 to 1 (or group) online presentation detailing how to perform Umrah, making it easier for converts to prepare for their journey.
For more information please email admin@revertsumrah.com
Booking Your Rawdah Visit
Within Masjid An Nabawi is a small area called the "Rawdah". Referring to this area, the Prophet (saw) said: "The area between my house and my pulpit is one of the gardens of Paradise" [Bukhari & Muslim]
In order to visit this blessed "Rawdah", you must pre-book a slot via the Nusuk app: Nusuk | نسك App - App Store or Nusuk | نسك - Apps on Google Play
Pilgrims are allowed to book one slot each year. It is highly advisable to book your slot in the week before travelling.
Travel Between Makkah, Madinah & Jeddah
Train:
This is the quickest, most comfortable and easiest way to travel between cities. Tickets are usually released 2 months in advance via the Haramain Train website & App. Here is the website link: https://sar.hhr.sa/
The typical cost (if booked early) of a one-way ticket & journey duration is as follows:
Makkah - Madinah: 185 riyaals / 2hrs 20 mins
Makkah - Jeddah Airport: 75 riyaals, 55 mins.
Madinah - Jeddah Airport: 150 riyaals, 1hr 55mins
Car:
The typical cost & duration by taxi is as follows:
Makkah - Madinah: 400 riyaals, 4.5 hours
Makkah - Jeddah: 200 riyaals, 1 hour
Madinah - Jeddah: 450 riyaals, 5 hours
Contributors to this website have previously used & recommended Safa Marwa Transport. You can contact them on WhatsApp on +966 551 817 682
Visas
Most travellers from the west can obtain an Evisa on arrival or can apply for one online in advance. We recommend applying in advance as it speeds up the process at the airport.
The Evisa is a multiple entry 1 year visa that costs in the region of 500 riyaals. It can be applied for here:
Saudi eVisa | The Official website for Tourist Visa to Saudi Arabia
UK travellers can also choose a single-entry 6 month "Evisa Waiver". This is significantly cheaper (175 riyaals approx) and can be used for longer stays. Please click on the following link:
For both Evisas & Evisa Waivers, you will need to upload a passport sized picture. These pictures must meet certain criteria (stipulated on the website - in terms of file size, picture size, pixels etc). Most people take a selfie (against a white background and with no shadows present) and upload this. If you need to resize your picture, you can do this quite easily for free via this link:
Sim Cards & Zamzam
It is highly recommended for pilgrims to purchase a local sim card on arrival. The quickest and easiest way to do this is at the airport. Most packages include some local minutes, international minutes & data. It is important to note that WhatsApp calls do not typically work in Saudi with Saudi sim cards. As an alternative pilgrims can use Apps such as IMO.
Esims can be used as an alternative to a physical Saudi sim. These can be downloaded from a variety of Apps including Airalo.
Pilgrims are generally allowed by most airlines to take back 1 container of Zamzam water (5 Litres). This must be purchased at the Airport terminal prior to check in. The price is just under 15 riyaals (Dec 2025).
Islamic Sites in Makkah & Madinah
Makkah & Madinah Sites:
Although we generally advise pilgrims to maximise their time inside the Haramain (Masjid Al Haram in Makkah and Masjid An Nabawi in Madinah), there are certain external historical sites that are well worth a visit in both cities. On our organized trips, we always arrange excursions to visit the sites mentioned below as well as a few other places of significance for reverts.
Makkah
"Jabal Noor" - this is the mountain that the Prophet Muhammad (saw) would visit regularly before Prophethood, and on which he received the first revelation of the Quran ("Iqra" or "Read / Recite"). The mountain is located a short 15-minute drive from Masjid Al Haram.
Madinah
"Quba Masjid" - this is the site where the Prophet Muhammad (saw) laid the foundations for the first Masjid in Islam during the Hijrah (migration from Makkah to Madinah). The site is located a short 10-minute drive from Masjid An Nabawi. There is also a new designated walkway that begins from the South West corner of the Masjid (on the Qibla side), leading directly to Quba Masjid in 45 minutes. The Prophet (saw) famously mentioned: “Whoever purifies himself in his house, then comes to the mosque of Quba and prays in it, he will have a reward like the Umrah pilgrimage.” [Ibn Majah]
"Qiblatain Masjid" - this is the site that marks the first salaah that took place after the Qibla (direction of prayer) was changed from Jerusalem to Makkah (in the 2nd year after Hijrah), in an incident detailed in Surah Al Baqara verse 144.
"Jabal Uhud" - this is the famous site where the Battle of Uhud took place. It is located a 5-minute drive from Masjid An Nabawi (3km away) and has the resting place of 70 sahaba, including the beloved uncle of the Prophet (saw), Hamza. The Archers Mound is located at this site.
"Jannatul Baqi" - this is the graveyard directly next to Masjid An Nabawi where some of the most illustrious people in Islamic history are buried, including many family members of the Prophet (saw) - his wives and children amongst them - as well as notable figures like Uthman Ibn Affan and Abdurrahman Ibn Awf. The graveyard is open for visitation after Fajr and after Asr.
It must be mentioned that there are many other sites that can be visited in Makkah & Madinah with Islamic and historical significance. For more information (especially for reverts planning their own trip or booking their Umrah packages independently), we highly recommend visiting this link: