We Spent RM30.3k to Perform Umrah: My Tabung Haji Travel Umrah Package Review & Guide

In January 2024, I performed the umrah together with my family. We visited Masjid Al-Nabawi in Madinah, and Masjidil Haram in Makkah. Alhamdullillah, by the grace of God we completed our journey and returned safely.

In this article, I would like to review the 13 days 11 nights Tabung Haji Travel umrah package we took. I will also include packing list and sprinkle money-saving tips throughout the article.

Note: When I was there, the exchange rate was 1 Saudi Riyal = RM1.27 Malaysian Ringgit

Tabung Haji Travel Umrah Packages

There are many travel companies offering umrah packages, but we decided to go with Tabung Haji Travel. Tabung Haji Travel offers 4 types of umrah packages:

• Pakej Hijra – from RM7,590
• Pakej Delima – from RM8,990
• Pakej Fairuz – from RM9,090
• Pakej Nilam – from RM12,090

These are just prices from Tabung Haji Travel; other travel agencies pay charge different rates. I have seen umrah packages as low as RM6xxx and as high as RM2xxxx per person.

See ‘Umrah Packages 2024’ section below for travel agencies offering umrah packages

Tabung Haji Travel – Nilam Package

We booked Pakej Nilam from Tabung Haji Travel. Even though the price is stated as ‘from RM12,090’, the actual price depends on dates, room-sharing basis and more. Be prepared to pay up to 20% or so more for some dates or if you want double (not quad) rooms.

For context, my husband and I paid RM13,990 per person for double room under pakej Nilam. My parents and sisters each paid RM12,390 for quad room under the same package.

Additionally, they charged RM2,500 for Baby Mika (kids under 2 years old). I am not sure if this price is for Nilam package, or for all packages. Therefore, my small family of 3 paid RM30.3k in total to go for umrah together.

Notes: Price and image taken in Feb 2024 and may be revised at any moment by Tabung Haji Travels

Difference between Tabung Haji Travel Umrah Packages

The biggest difference between Tabung Haji Travel umrah packages seems to be the hotel – the nearer it is to Masjidil Haram in Makkah and Masjid Al-Nabawi in Madinah, the more expensive it is.

In our case, our hotels under Nilam package were just 50-80 meters from the mosque compounds, which are the nearest possible locations. Other Tabung Haji umrah packages offered hotels 300-700 meters away from the mosque compounds.

If not mistaken, Nilam package is also the only one offering 5-star hotels.

Tip: Your hotel location matters

I have seen umrah packages from other travel agencies offering hotels located ~1km away from the mosques. Unless you are physically fit and/or budget is an issue, I wouldn’t recommend staying too far away, because:

1) You’ll be tired from Tawaf and Saei

Tawaf and Saei – two core parts of umrah – are already physically demanding activities. You will want to reserve your energy to perform additional umrah and/or Tawaf sunat and Tawaf Wada’.

Worth mentioning as well that while Madinah is fairly flat and very walkable, not the same applies to Makkah. Some parts of Makkah can be very steep and hilly, making it even more tiring.

2) The mosque compounds are huge

I cannot overstate how HUGE Masjidil Haram compounds is. Even though our hotel was just 80 meters away, it still took us at least 10 mins walk before arriving to the center, to the Kaabah.

See image below to see what I mean. And it’s not like it’ll be an easy walk from the hotel to the mosque, because…

3) The crowds will slow you down

It might take even longer, perhaps 20-30 mins to enter the mosques during peak times, especially solat times. This is due to 2 reasons:

• it’ll be super crowded, and even waiting for the lift might take some time
• some of the mosque gates/entrances will close due to full capacity. If that happens, you need to find other entrances

4) You need to go back to hotel often

All Tabung Haji umrah packages include fullboard meals, which means you’ll be going to the hotel for mealtimes before going back to the mosque. You need to factor this time into your schedule

5) Reduce likelihood of breaking ihram rules and paying dam

When you are in ihram state during umrah, you’ll be prohibited, among other things, to harm or kill animals and plants. If you do that, you’ll have to pay dam costing 700 riyal or close to RM900 (2024 rate).

You can’t even scare the birds. As there are A LOT of birds in Madinah and Makkah, avoiding them as you walk is really hard.

So staying nearby greatly reduces the chances of breaking this particular ihram rule.

But just go if you can

However, don’t let hotel/cost alone be the determinant factor. If you are called to perform umrah, just go. Like the Ustad said, sometimes one cannot go to Tanah Haram even if they have lots of money. They might have lots of obstacles like health, time, or even no spots left for them.

Personally, I wasn’t even planning for umrah but decided to go together with my parents and sisters. I’m glad I did. Thank you Allah for calling and bringing me there :’)

What’s Included in Tabung Haji Travel Umrah Package

Tabung Haji Umrah Package – What’s included

Tabung Haji Umrah Package includes the following:

• Return flights from KLIA (economy)
• Visa cost
• Accommodation
• Fullboard meals (Asian – mostly we were served Indonesian food)
• Travel insurance
• All transportation (bus)
• All entry fees
• Kit umrah (ihram set for the men and mini telekung mini for the women)
• 2 luggage bags (30kg check in + 7kg carry on) (really nice and sleek design! Can reuse!)
• Kursus umrah
• Umrah + ziarah guide book
• Assistance for Nusuk app registration (can be complicated; appreciated this)
• Air Zam zam to bring back
• Mutawif (like a travel guide but Ustad version)
• *We also got a free train ride from Madinah to Makkah, and heard other groups got a free trip to Taif. Depends on the ongoing offer 🙂

Potential upgrades

If you have extra budget, you can also get some of these upgrades:

• Upgrade from economy to business class flight (add on RM2k, which I thought was reasonable but unfortunately sold out)
• Upgrade from Asian to International meals
• Upgrade for better hotel rooms (possibly can request/add on for bigger room/Kaabah view?)
• Travel from Madinah to Makkah by Haramain train instead of bus (big difference in travel time) (can potentially upgrade for business class seats as well)
• Upgrade to private car with driver instead of bus (some jemaah in our trip did this. I don’t know the price but probably expensive, over RM1k a day)

Are there more things one can upgrade to make your umrah stay more comfortable? Let me know in the comments!

NOT included in Tabung Haji umrah package

The following is NOT included in your umrah package:

• Meningococcal vaccine shots (RM150-250++ per person depending where you do it)
• 4 passport photos with white background that you need to submit
• Scooter rental for Tawaf/Saei – Anyone with walking issues or babies, please prepare 115 riyal per pax (~RM146) or 230 riyal for 2 pax (~RM292) to rent scooter to complete your tawaf and saei
• Internet data on phone
• Money for shopping, emergency etc (cash and in BigPay card)

I only brought 200 Saudi Riyal cash with me. For the rest, I used my BigPay prepaid debit card (use code ‘INLALP7ZLE’ to get free RM10). I love the ATM withdrawal function, ‘freeze card’ function and the rates are good, can recommend!

Save money on internet data with e-sim

You NEED to have internet data during umrah – without it, you may be denied entry especially for Raudhah at Masjid al-Nabawi.

Your options for internet data are:

• Data roaming from your phone – whatever your telco charges
• Buy sim card – lots of people selling near the mosques
• Buy e-sim – this is what I did. Details below

Data roaming plan from my telco provider would have cost me RM120, while a sim card will cost around 80 riyal (~RM101.70)

To save money on internet data, I bought an e-sim instead. Steps:

1. Bought aloSIM mobile data plan deal from TechDeals. I paid $25 for $50 worth of credit
2. I purchased the Saudi Arabia – 3GB plan for $11
3. Upon arrival, I followed the instructions to install the plan and it works like a charm

This saved me a lot of money, and I was able to install it for my parents as well. Try it for your next trip!

Tabung Haji Travel Umrah Itinerary

Tabung Haji Travel umrah packages comes in two options: Madinah first OR Makkah first. We opted for the former.

During your 12 or 13 days,

• 3-4 days will be dedicated for travel (KL <-> Saudi; Madinah <-> Makkah)
• 4 days for ziarah programmes and do extra umrah if you wish (you should have 3-4 umrah opportunities during your trip)
• Around 4 free and easy days (useful for doing Tawaf sunat, buying souveniers, sort out laundry etc)

Here’s how the itineraries might look like. The left image is KL-Madinah-Makkah-KL, while the right image is KL-Makkah-Madinah-KL. As you can see, we spent 3 full days in Madinah, and 5 full days in Makkah (exclude travelling days).

You can use this as a guide for DIY umrah trip as well.

Notes:

• Image taken in Feb 2024 and may be revised at any moment by Tabung Haji Travels.
• Any additional trips (like to Taif) will be slotted into the free days IF there are enough people

Makkah first? Madinah first? Which is better?

If you ask me, going to Madinah first is better because you get to acclimatise yourself to the timezone, language, norms, weather, etc. You also can go to the airport in ‘normal’ clothes instead of in ihram clothes. I can imagine the men would feel very cold!

BUT! I’ve heard some people choose Makkah first as they prefer getting the umrah out of the way, which is fine as well. Up to you 🙂

My Review: Performing Umrah under Tabung Haji Travel

I would rate my experience performing umrah under Tabung Haji Travel – Nilam package as a solid 8/10. Alhamdulillah, I’m satisfied with most things.

What I liked:

• I liked the Asian meals. Didn’t expect to eat Ayam Masak Merah, Bakso and Nasi lemak while I was there but love the variety. If we were to stick to Saudi meals, we’d eat Mandi/Kabsa chicken every day and get tired of it real quick
• I love the hotel locations. Near is definitely better. They have comfy rooms as well. Well worth the package price!
• I love that the hotels were near the nicer malls. Even with the limited time, I could still go do some shopping and browse grocery shops too.

What I thought could be better:

• I didn’t like some of the ziarah places. Some were super crowded and the bus had to park far away. Some were just places selling merchandise and that’s it
• I wish the busses were more comfortable and elderly-friendly. My mom had difficulty getting in and out of the bus. One had pee smell
• During umrah, our group were seperated into two groups – those walking and those taking scooters. The communication for those taking scooter could be better. We got lost and we were not provided guidance during Tawaf and Saei – no headsets provided for us

Umrah Packing List & What to Bring for Umrah

Umrah packing list

Do bring:

• 5-7 jubah/outfits
• Winter wear/jackets if winter (can get to 11 celcius in winter!)
• Ihram set (men)
• 5 x tudung (women)
• 2 x telekung (women)
• 3 x Handsocks (women)
• Mini sejadah
• Shoes + Sandals for walking
• 3-4 sets of sleepwear
• Medicine* – paracetamol, sore throat lozenges, cough syrups, gastric medications, etc
• Diapers/adult diapers/baby wipes* – if needed
• Toiletries
• Facemasks
• Lip balm
• Sunscreen
• Wuduk spray bottle
• Laundry bar if you plan to wash clothes yourself. Laundry service is approx 15 riyal per kilo

*exceptionally expensive in Makkah/Madinah. Bring from Malaysia!

Bonus: Umrah packing list if you’re bringing a baby

Bringing a baby during umrah felt so special for us because it was baby Mika’s first trip abroad. We brought baby Mika at 8 months and while it was hard, it wasn’t impossible. In addition to the above, do bring:

• 1-2 extra outfits for both Mom and Dad
• 10 x baby outfits (this is not enough; we did laundry halfway through)
• 4 x baby winter clothes (if winter)
• Diapers (a bit more than what you need. Diapers are VERY expensive there)
• Baby wipes (same commentary as diapers)
• Swaddles
• Feeding set and instant baby food if your baby have started solids
• Breastfeeding cover (if breastfeeding)
• Milk bottles and powder, plus thermos for hot water (if use formula)
• Dish detergent and brush
• Baby carrier
• Stroller (we brought but didn’t really use it; carrier was a lot more convenient)
• Diaper mat
• Trash bag to throw away used diapers

Umrah Packages 2024

Choosing which umrah packages used to be a hard problem – many unfortunate people got scammed and were left stranded at the airport, which is very sad 🙁

To counter this, the Malaysian government have now listed all registered travel companies licensed to bring pilgrims for umrah. You can check the list of companies at https://www.motac.gov.my/en/check/umrah. Please make sure to only purchase your umrah packaged from these companies.

Karnival Haji, Umrah & Perlancongan

What I would suggest, however, is to attend the Tabung Haji-organised Karnival Haji, Umrah & Perlancongan. As of January 2024, they have organised it a couple of times and featured 25 licensed travel companies. Its a great place to survey and purchase umrah packages at competitive prices.

Note: I’m not sure when is the next Karnival but you can follow Tabung Haji social media for announcements

Okay, that’s all I have for you today. Hope this article will help you plan your own umrah trip, InsyaAllah 🙂 If you have any questions, leave it below and I’ll try my best to find answers for you.