A pilgrimage is not a holiday, and the things that matter are different. Who holds your money, whether the operator is authorised, how far you will walk, and whether the Foreign Office says you should be going at all.
Authorisation, physical demand, and Foreign Office advice.
Hajj from the UK is booked only through Saudi Arabia's official Nusuk platform, so we don't sell it — and UK pilgrims lose money every year to sellers who claim they can. For every pilgrimage we ask honestly about walking distances, heat and mobility, because these journeys are physically demanding in ways a resort holiday is not. And for destinations where the Foreign Office advises against travel, we will tell you plainly rather than sell you a package your insurance would not cover.
What we currently arrange, and what we don't.
Year-round, in seven, ten or fourteen nights. The distance from the Haram is the decision, and we state it in metres.
Fourteen or twenty-one nights, on fixed dates, under quota. Check the operator is authorised before you pay anything.
Harmandir Sahib and the langar, with an optional gurdwara circuit through Punjab. October to March.
Lourdes, Fátima and Medjugorje, singly or combined. We can arrange assisted travel for pilgrims with mobility needs.
From a week on the last hundred kilometres to the full French Way. Luggage transfers and graded stages.
Bodh Gaya, Sarnath, Kushinagar and Lumbini. Best November to February, and usually escorted.
How we group the journeys we arrange.
Umrah year-round in three lengths. Hajj is booked through Nusuk, and we can explain how it works. Ziyarat to Iraq depends on Foreign Office advice at the time.
Lourdes, Fátima, Medjugorje and Rome, plus the Camino de Santiago on foot with luggage carried.
Harmandir Sahib, with Anandpur Sahib, Tarn Taran and Goindwal Sahib as a circuit.
The Buddhist circuit through Bihar and Uttar Pradesh into Nepal; Varanasi and the Char Dham on request.
Each journey has its own season, and some have fixed dates.
Hajj falls on 8–13 Dhul Hijjah and moves about eleven days earlier each year. Umrah runs year-round except those days, with Ramadan the most sought-after and most expensive. Amritsar is October to March. The Camino is best April to June and September to October. Lourdes runs its main season from Easter to late October. The Buddhist circuit is November to February. Tell us which journey and we'll work back from the right window.
Saudi Arabia requires one for Umrah, arranged in advance; Hajj visas are issued through Nusuk. British citizens need no visa for Lourdes, Fátima, Medjugorje, Rome or the Camino. We handle it as part of the booking and tell you the deadline.
Meningitis ACWY is mandatory for Saudi Arabia. Others vary — allow six to eight weeks with a travel clinic.
Required, and it must cover the destination and any pre-existing conditions. Check it doesn't exclude your journey.
Some journeys work far better with a group and a scholar or chaplain. We'll say which.
We'll tell you what's involved, what it costs, who holds the booking and what protection applies — before you pay anything.
Not at present. Foreign Office advice for the region has been restrictive and most travel insurance follows it. We'd rather say so than sell a package your insurance wouldn't cover. Ask us and we'll tell you the current position.
It depends entirely on Foreign Office advice at the time, which has recently advised against travel to parts of Iraq. We check before quoting and will tell you plainly if the answer is no.
Often, yes — wheelchair assistance, ground-floor rooms, shorter walking distances. Tell us the requirement early, because it affects which packages are suitable.
If it's a flight-inclusive package arranged by an ATOL holder, yes, and you'll get a certificate. Some arrangements aren't. We tell you in writing which applies before you pay.
Every one can be reshaped around your dates.
