Common questions

What does the price include?

Every programme page lists its inclusions and exclusions in full, and we would rather over-explain than have someone discover a cost in Makkah. Broadly: return airfare from Velana International Airport, the Umrah visa and Nusuk registration, accommodation in Makkah and Madinah, all ground transport in Saudi Arabia, ziyarah in both cities, and Maldivian group leaders travelling with the group throughout.

What is not included is usually meals beyond those stated, personal spending, and anything you buy to bring home. Travel insurance is listed separately because we think you should have it and would rather you saw the cost than had it hidden inside the headline price.

How do I pay, and when?

A booking is held with a deposit, and the balance is paid in instalments before departure. The exact deposit and the instalment dates are set for each programme separately and shown on that programme's page before you commit to anything.

Payment is by bank transfer. You upload the transfer slip when you book, or later from your pilgrim portal, and we confirm it against the account before your booking moves forward. You will always be able to see what you have paid and what is outstanding.

Can a woman travel without a mahram?Check before you rely on this

Two separate questions get mixed together here, and it helps to take them apart.

The first is what Saudi Arabia permits. Under the rules in force in recent seasons, women have been able to perform Umrah without a male guardian accompanying them, and we have carried women travelling this way. We do not require a mahram document from anyone at booking.

The second is what your own school holds, and that is not a question for a travel company to answer. The Maldives follows the Shafi'i school and scholars differ on this. If it matters to you — and for many people it does — ask a scholar you trust, and do not treat our booking form as a religious opinion.

Practically: every group we operate travels with Maldivian group leaders including a female chaperone, and women travelling alone are placed in shared rooming with other women from the group rather than left to arrange it themselves.

Can elderly parents manage it?

This is the question we are asked most often, and the honest answer is: usually yes, with planning, and it depends far more on stamina than on age.

The demanding parts are walking distance and crowds, not difficulty. Tawaf and sa'i together are around six and a half kilometres of slow walking. The upper floors of the mosque are much less crowded and can be walked at your own pace, and wheelchairs are available with an attendant to push them.

Tell us at the time of booking if someone will need mobility assistance. That is not a formality — it changes which hotel floor we ask for, how we plan transfers, and whether we arrange a wheelchair in advance rather than hunting for one on the day. The booking form has a field for exactly this.

Can I bring children?

Yes, and many families do. Children are welcome on our programmes and are quoted at their own rate depending on age and whether they occupy a bed.

What we would say plainly: the days are long, the crowds are heavy, and a small child who is tired is difficult for a parent who is also trying to complete a tawaf. Families who manage it well tend to be the ones who planned rest into the schedule rather than trying to do everything.

Every child needs their own passport and their own visa, regardless of age.

What if I need to cancel?

You can cancel at any time by telling us in writing. What is refunded depends on how close to departure you are, because by that point we have committed money to airlines and hotels on your behalf.

If we cancel a programme — most commonly because a group does not reach its minimum number — you receive everything you have paid, in full, with no deduction.

The full cancellation terms are published, and we will always show you what was actually spent and what was recovered rather than simply quoting a percentage at you.

How do I know my money is safe?

It is a fair question and one you should ask any operator, including us.

Hajj and Umrah operators in the Maldives are approved by the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, and our current licensing position is published on this site — stated plainly, including when a renewal is in progress. We would rather tell you that than let you assume.

Every payment you make produces a receipt with a reference you can check against your own bank record, and your pilgrim portal shows your balance at all times. How deposits are held between booking and departure is a Board decision we are documenting publicly rather than leaving implied.

What if my question is not here?

Call us. Most of what people want to know before committing is specific to them — a passport that expires awkwardly, a parent with a heart condition, a group of cousins who want to travel together and share rooms — and none of that is answerable by a page.

We would rather spend twenty minutes on the phone than have somebody book on an assumption that turns out to be wrong.