Umrah Packages from Sacramento
Flight-inclusive Umrah for pilgrims from the Greater Sacramento area, departing via SMF.
Umrah from Sacramento made simple
We're a Sacramento company, so this page is written from home. Qibla Gateway Inc is based here, and what follows is the advice we'd give a neighbor. Package airfare is built from five US gateways, and Sacramento International isn't among them. Starting here usually means a domestic flight to a larger airport before the long-haul connection, and flying from SMF may add to the airfare. The team confirms that figure before you book. The rest of this page is local knowledge, from winter fog on the drive out to parking you can't reserve and the fact that the nearest passport agency is in San Francisco.
Departures
SMF
Routing
SMF isn't a priced gateway, so expect a domestic hop to a larger airport first, then usually a second connection at a European, Turkish or Gulf hub.
Community
CalMatters reports that Sacramento and Alameda counties have the largest Afghan immigrant populations in the US, and that Opening Doors, a local nonprofit, has served immigrants and refugees in Sacramento for about three decades. SALAM Islamic Center, on College Oak Drive, calls itself a proudly multi-ethnic community. It's open for all five daily prayers, holds Friday prayer in both Arabic and English, runs a weekend school, and lists family nights and food drives all year round.
Getting to Makkah from Sacramento
Getting to SMF without a car is possible. SacRT's Route 142 runs an express bus between downtown Sacramento and the airport, and the airport says that together with Yolobus routes 42A and 42B there's a bus every 20 to 30 minutes, seven days a week. The notes below cover parking.
From SMF the first flight is domestic, to a bigger airport. Of our five priced gateways, LAX is the closest to Sacramento, and the team will confirm whether starting here adds anything to the airfare, and how much, before anybody books. After that there's usually one more connection, in Europe, Turkey or the Gulf, and then Jeddah. Between the first takeoff at SMF and touchdown in Jeddah, a cautious estimate is 22 to 28 hours. Two connections in one day argue for layovers with some breathing room.
Makkah runs on UTC+3 all year. Sacramento, on Pacific time, is 10 hours behind it during daylight saving time and 11 hours behind in the months of standard time. An evening landing in Jeddah therefore feels, to your body, like morning at home. Your first night in Makkah may bring little sleep, so pace yourself.
Tule fog on winter mornings
Late fall and winter bring tule fog to the Central Valley, and at its worst it drops visibility to a few feet. It can also vary in thickness from one mile to the next, so a clear stretch of road can turn white with little warning. If your first flight leaves early on a winter morning, build real slack into the drive to SMF. Set off well before the map app says you need to, and slow right down when the fog closes in.
Parking at SMF can't be reserved
All parking at Sacramento International is first come, first served, and the airport doesn't take reservations. Garage 1 links to both terminals by pedestrian bridges, so there's no shuttle to wait for. The Daily Lot shuttle comes every 15 to 20 minutes. The South, East and West Economy lots have a shuttle every 25 to 30 minutes, and for those lots the airport says to allow up to 60 minutes from parking to arriving at the terminal. On an international travel day, that hour belongs in the plan.
The nearest passport agency is in San Francisco
There's no passport agency in Sacramento. The closest is the San Francisco Passport Agency at 450 Golden Gate Ave., 3rd floor. Walk-ins aren't how it works: you need an appointment, and you only get one with international travel within 14 calendar days or a foreign visa needed within 28. The building has no public parking. There are garages at 355 McAllister Street and 376 Larkin Street, and the Civic Center/UN Plaza BART station is three blocks away. Expect a line at the entrance and bring valid government ID.
Three ways to go from Sacramento
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 Sacramento: questions
Yes. Qibla Gateway Inc is a US company based in Sacramento, California, so families in the region are booking with a business from their own area. You can reach the team by phone or on WhatsApp, and we book groups and families. If a few households from your masjid are hoping to travel together, raise it early so the team can look at the same dates for everyone and confirm what flying from SMF means for each household's airfare.
Yolobus routes 42A and 42B do exactly that, running a loop through Woodland, West Sacramento, downtown Sacramento and Davis, with the 42A going clockwise and the 42B the other way. Both stop at Terminal A and Terminal B on the arrivals level. Yolobus lists service every 30 to 60 minutes, seven days a week, from 5 a.m. until midnight. Check the timetable against your check-in time, especially if your first flight leaves early in the morning.
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.