Umrah Packages from Houston
Flight-inclusive Umrah for pilgrims from the Greater Houston area, departing via IAH & HOU.
Umrah from Houston made simple
Bush Intercontinental has been rebuilding its international side, with an expanded Terminal D and a modernized Terminal E, so what a cousin remembers from an earlier trip may be out of date. It's still the airport to look at first for a trip to Makkah. IAH isn't on the list of five airports our package airfare is based on, so a start from Houston can raise the fare, and you'll hear the exact difference from us before anything is booked. After that, it comes down to local detail: two very different METRO buses, a customs hall in Terminal E, and a hurricane season that covers late summer. Hobby, the second airport, is about 11 miles southeast of downtown.
Departures
IAH & HOU
Routing
From IAH, one change of plane at a European, Turkish or Gulf hub, roughly 17 to 23 hours in all, or a domestic flight to a priced gateway first.
Community
The Islamic Society of Greater Houston was established in 1969 and says it now includes 22 Islamic centers, yet it's only part of the picture. The 2020 US Religion Census, published through the ARDA, counted 63 Muslim congregations in Harris County with an estimated 91,000 adherents, and 11 more congregations in Fort Bend County with about 15,800. Those figures are built from congregations, so people who aren't connected to one may not be counted.
Getting to Makkah from Houston
Our airfare is priced from JFK, IAD, ORD, ATL and LAX. Houston isn't one of them, so there are two practical ways to begin. The simpler is to fly out of IAH and make one connection overseas, at a hub in Europe, Turkey or the Gulf, before the last leg into Saudi Arabia. The other is a domestic flight to one of those five gateways, with the long-haul flight starting there. Your dates often decide which works better. A Houston departure may add to the airfare, and we confirm that amount before you commit.
Expect roughly 17 to 23 hours between takeoff in Houston and landing in the Kingdom, depending on the connection. Makkah keeps Arabia Standard Time, UTC+3, all year. Houston is on Central Time, so Makkah is 8 hours ahead from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November, and 9 hours ahead the rest of the year. Take off on a Houston evening and you'll land the following evening, Saudi time, or in the small hours after it. Your body will still think it's daytime in Houston.
Two METRO buses to Bush
METRO runs two routes to IAH, and they suit different trips. Route 500, the Downtown Direct, is the nonstop one. It picks up on Level 2 of Terminal E, outside Door E-201. Route 102 is the local bus, making frequent stops between Terminal C, outside Door C-105, and the Downtown Transit Center, with Greenspoint Transit Center along the way. METRO lists both as running every 15-30 minutes. With a family and a week's worth of luggage, the nonstop is usually the calmer ride.
Late summer and the Gulf
The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30. The National Hurricane Center puts the peak around September 10, with most activity between mid-August and mid-October. A storm may never come near your dates, but it makes sense to look at the Hurricane Center's forecasts in the week before you fly. If one is heading for the Texas coast, call us early. Options are much easier to talk through a few days out than at the check-in desk.
Passports at short notice
The Houston Passport Agency is at 1919 Smith Street, in the Mickey Leland Federal Building. It sees people by appointment only, and it exists for travelers leaving within 14 days or needing a foreign visa. Bring your ticket or itinerary, because you'll be asked for proof of travel. If your trip is further off, apply the standard way and start early. Waiting until your Umrah dates are fixed leaves little room if the paperwork goes wrong. Rules can change, so confirm them on travel.state.gov first.
Three ways to go from Houston
Seven nights, flights included. The tier decides how close your hotels are.
- AffordableVoco Makkah (IHG)5-7 minutes by shuttle, or about 15 minutes' walkShaza Regency PlazaAbout 3 minutes' walk$1,590per person, quad
- PremiumRotana Jabal Omar MakkahUnder 2 minutes' walkPullman Zamzam MadinahUnder 1 minute's walk$1,790per person, quad
- LuxurySwissotel Makkah, Clock TowerFacing the HaramAnwar Al Madinah MövenpickFacing Masjid an-Nabawi$1,890per person, quad
Umrah from Houston: questions
It depends on the airline, and the answer has been shifting. In 2025 Houston Airports announced that the Terminal D and Terminal E ticketing lobbies would be combined into one International Central Processor, with foreign airlines moving their check-in out of the Terminal D lobby. The counter a relative used a few years ago may be the wrong one now. Check your airline's app or the IAH website a day or two before you leave. If you're dropped at the wrong terminal, the IAH Subway links the terminals before security.
That depends on where your last flight lands. If it reaches IAH from abroad, you'll go through customs and immigration in the Terminal E international arrivals hall, so that's where they should wait. Houston Airports says roughly 35,000 international travelers pass through Terminal E each day, so it can be busy. If your final leg is a domestic flight, you'll come in at whichever terminal that airline uses. Share the flight number and let them check it on the day.
Our 7-night flight-inclusive packages run from $1,590 to $1,890 per person on quad occupancy, with airfare, the e-visa, medical insurance, both hotels and the Haramain train inside that figure. Advertised prices are based on departures from JFK, IAD, ORD, ATL and LAX. Flying out of your city may add to the airfare, and we'll confirm exactly how much before you book anything.