Arif Hajj & Umrah Services Reviews 73

Hajj is an incredibly beautiful and spiritual journey.

I pray, encourage all to go, but try and avoid this company at all costs--unless you are part of their family/friend inner circle who were over-prioritised or don't mind being treated with little/no respect, being constantly shouted at by a family led, poorly organised team who know little in terms of communication or service provision

Finally don't be fooled (as I was) by the pre-sales support--it was great, but that's where it ended

I would like to start by thanking Brother Altaf and his Team (Mahfooz, Khalid & Nadeem) for the help and support they provided during the days of HAJJ 2023.

What a truly amazing experience it was!!

Brother Altaf helped from the very start to the very end.

For the whole time we were out in the Kingdom, Altaf made sure we were ok. We did not feel at any time that he neglected any of us. The team was there for us throughout.

Once again What an amazing experience it was, May Allah swt bless Altaf and his Team for the hard work they do to ensure all of us get to go to HAJJ.

Afzal & Naila.

P.S. sorry for the late review.

Uncle Altaf and the team at Arif Hajj and Umrah took us on the most beautiful journey of our lifetime. Without a shadow of a doubt, the most perfect Hajj anyone could have. They made everything so hassle-free. Every aspect of the trip was as they had described and they went above and beyond for us. After all the horror stories, we were naturally concerned but I have nothing but good words and praise for Uncle Altaf and Mahfouz. Thank you for making our Hajj so personalised and memorable. 5/5 falls short of what Arif Hajj and Umrah deserve. A quick shout out to uncle Nadeem Malik too for joining the team and keeping us in the right direction. I highly recommend them for any Hajj and Umrah trip and rest assured that you’ll be looked after as a member of their family and not just a transaction/customer.

I recently travelled to hajj with this group and it was the best experience of my whole life time . It was truly a once in a lifetime experience which was very blessed and beautiful . Arif brother took care of us through each step and guided us throughout the whole journey . The hotels provides were 5 star very close to the haram . I would definitely recommend booking with this Arif hajj and umrah as they were very organised and helpful .

I waited till now (11/8/23) to write a review for Altaf Arif, Mahfooz Arif, Khalid Rashid, and Nadeem so that I could let the experience of Hajj with them really sink into my soul.
In short, I am extremely grateful to these four men because I have successfully completed my Hajj with my wife. And on the whole, we did have a 5-star experience, staying in Swissotel in Makkah part of the clock tower complex and in Madinah, we were in Pullman Zamzam.
Yes, there were some issues during the Hajj days, but I didn't get a sense that the issues were created by Altaf and his group. Anyone looking to go on Hajj should know in advance that during the 5 days of Hajj, you can expect to pay up to 500% more, for everything, compared to any other time.
My wife and I feel we have made lifelong friendships while on Hajj.
I have no hesitation in recommending Altaf Arif and his team. They were all very friendly, approachable, and helpful. Thank you.

Hajj 2023

Negatives and how they could improve:

1) The tour guides should have one of their female relatives with them on Hajj who can be responsible for the Sisters side. Or if they can't do that, they should appoint any sister who has a mahram in the brothers side that can be the point of contact for any issues. It is inappropriate for the tour guides younger brother to be walking in and out of the sisters tents and being their first point of contact. To be fair, Altaf did announce a few times that the sisters were complaining that men were outside their tent but I don't think he realised it was his own brother.

2) The tour guide had some 'helpers' from Pakistan who were charging people 1,000 to 2,000 riyals (£225-450) to push people in wheelchairs for 2-3 hours. So if someone needed their help for the 3 days of stoning they would need to fork out in total £1,000-£1,500. Would see these helpers give massages to Altaf and his brother Mahfuz all the time and to top it off we were asked to donate towards these 'helpers'. I think they helped themselves enough. When we told Altaf about the prices his "helpers" were charging he justified it.

If you really want to be of help to the Hajjis you should tell your workers to ask for reasonable prices and not allow them to take advantage of vulnerable people who have already spent tens of thousands of pounds to visit the blessed lands.

3) The tour guides should interact more with the people in the group. Instead the tour guides stuck to their little groups of people they already knew or from their same town. There will be people in the group who are elderly, ill, and anxious. Just checking up on them every now and again will go a long way. Instead, what actually happened was everyone was left to it, it was pretty much every man for themselves.
One elderly couple got lost on the days of stoning, when Altaf was told there was no urgency from him to do anything. The children of the elderly couple were left to find them themselves.

4) Hotels, food, amenities etc were not good enough. Felt like shortcuts were taken to save money. There were people we knew who went from Pakistan who paid a third of the price and had a similar service to us, if not, better in some instances. Some had better transport, better food, less people in tents etc.

5) We asked Altaf 6 weeks before Hajj if we could catch the train to Madinah sharif instead of via coach. At times he would say its not allowed then sometimes he would say he would find out. Then as the days were approaching before we were meant to go he said it won't be possible because the Saudi authorities had to process and take our passports if we caught the train. And that it was possible that they could get lost somewhere in the system. So we thought fair enough. Then the night before he calls us to the lobby saying you can go on train. By which time the prices had doubled and only business class available. A week or so later we see him post videos on his WhatsApp status of himself catching the train. He kept us in the dark for 6 weeks for no reason.

Positives:

1) Having Shaykh Muhammad Aslam in the group. This was the best thing the tour guide did. Having a scholar like Shaykh Aslam was very beneficial.

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In conclusion, if you are going with family or elderly/ill people, probably would avoid travelling with these guys for the reasons mentioned above but if you are going solo it's only worth using these guys if Shaykh Aslam is travelling that year.

I hope Altaf can take this feedback on board. I did not want to leave this negative rating but I think its important that others are aware of what to expect if they decide to go with this agent.

I went on an Umrah package through Arif Hajj & Umrah Services a couple of years ago and knew brother Altaf would be the best person to speak to about Hajj with his many years of experience. He helped from the very first stage of registering myself and my wife’s profile on Nusuk to completing Hajj.

Brother Altaf was always available for any help and questions I had during the application process. He held regular webinars which provided updates and guidance. He also arranged a very informative seminar with Shaykh Aslam which was definitely needed as it provided us with lots of knowledge on what the days of Hajj would entail.

Completing Hajj was the most life changing and amazing experience of our lives. The guides (brothers Altaf, Mahfooz and Nadeem) were extremely helpful. They were with us every step of the way and it was reassuring knowing we had them if we had any issues.

Brother Altaf also arranged for Shaykh Mohammed Aslam to accompany the group on Hajj which was amazing as the spiritual guidance would not have been the same without him.

We met some wonderful people on our journey and have come back as a family.
May Allah swt reward the guides and Shaykh Aslam for their exceptional service and guidance. I highly recommend Arif Hajj & Umrah services if you are planning to go for Umrah or Hajj.

Very professional team with many years of experience, know exactly all the ins and outs how to make Hajj and Umrah a great journey.

Was given this company’s number by a friend. From the start the service was amazing. Very informative and up to date. Problems that could happen were discussed and how to avoid them. Once there it got even better. Great service the group had team leaders ours was Nadeem Malik absolute gentleman and fantastic. Alhumdolilah our hajj was completed and our journey went on to madinah. All ziyarats were done in comfort. I would highly recommend this company and will definitely use them again.

Went hajj 2023 at the seminar was promised everything help for people with mobilitys also transport to help the people who had walking problems but the minute we got there was no help wat so ever every one was left to help themselves the group leaders were no were to be seen also there is a issue wat needs addressing about group leaders going into women tents there should be women team leader for women tents in mina and arafaat there is also a very big problem about altaf and his helpers charging ridiculous amounts of money for his helpers to push wheelchairs the fees they charge are extortionate amounts when people who have disabilities are most vulnerable and desperate I no altaf tries to justify these charges but the amounts involved are shocking but people have no choice but to agree ie 700 to 2000 riyal to push a wheelchair [shocking] I believe these chargers are fixed by altaf THE quality of coaches are old wen u are promised everything and help but when you get to makkah u are left to do everything thing yourselfs there is no such thing as a group I advise anyone in the future going on hajj if u have any mobilitys are health conditions to take your own wheel chair or buy one wen u get to Saudi Arabia I no altaf always says its out of my control and its the Saudis and we don't no wat to expect I don't belive this to be true I no he is one of a few people who is licenced to take groups to hajj so it's not all Saudis fault this review is make future hajjis aware don't expect everything he says I could carry on but just be aware once u get there you are on your own. Him and his family have been in this business for a long time as he says but no help I also belive there is a wats app group going around about arif hajj and umra

Excellent communication, presence and support. Always available to resolve issues and we're visible throughout the Hajj pilgrimage.
It was our first visit to Saudi Arabia and Khalid Bhai guided us to complete our first Umrah- we totally forgot all we had learned beforehand!
All the tour guides went above and beyond so that we could focus fully on our Ibaadah during Hajj.

Salaam
Just wanted to say a huge thank you to Altaf and his brother for going above and beyond to make our hajj experience be so memorable. They will assist in any way possible to help customers. Would highly recommend people use their services. Excellent care and service. Can’t fault them.

Brilliant service from this group! Me and my family was well looked aftered by bhai altaf and it was a great experience!

Very well organised group top service always their when needed

I travelled with Arif Hajj and Umrah for the first time last month and it was a memorable experience. I found great ease and facilitation in the excellent communication offered through information and help that was provided prior to us leaving for the trip and throughout the trip correspondence was always maintained to update us on the various changes that had taken place post-co-vid and other matters of importance. We were looked after at all times and there was never a point where we found ourselves disappointed at the service provided. The tour leader, Altaf, is an incredibly approachable and friendly brother who was on hand to assist and made our Umrah an enjoyable experience. I would definitely recommend others to travel with this service provider as they offer a wonderful customer experience, whereby you are able to comfortably and with ease engage in Ibadah at the mosques and also go out on visitations at both cities and experience our great Islamic history.

Best service and best group you could ever go for!
Everything was up to date and we got guided with every step there was needed to take throughout our 10 days there and made life so much more easier! Will 1000% travel with arif group again!

The service was great, they really looked after, and arranged everything for us, so we didn't have to worry about anything.

This was my 1st time doing umrah and the best time ever especially with the service provided my arif hajj & umrah, always keeping us updated and always there if we needed help, provided us the best service to go to ziyarats, I 100% recommend you go with arif and take your family, children it's an educational experience for them and puts you in the shoes of the places and makes you feel the times of prophet Muhammad pbuh. Other than ziyart it was an amazing experience doing umrah, guided by arif, as it was my 1st time, after that you can also do another umrah in your own time.
Lastly, we went to Madina by train, it was the best as we got there faster than the coach and didnt feel exhausted.
Alhamdulillah.

This was my first experience travelling with Passport2Hajj team and was a wonderful experience. From start to finish, I was comfortable for the entire journey and experience. Would recommend to family and friends. Many Thanks to the service they provided.

Alhamdulillah this was our second Umrah trip with Altaf Bhai and the service just got better each time. Went in 2019 and recently again. Went with my two elderly parents and Altaf bhai ensured they were well look after at all times. Even at the airports made sure they had wheelchair facilities. The hotels both in Makkah and Madina very really nice with good facilities. Alhamdulillah Had a lovely journey with a lovely group. Thanks to Altaf Bhai who made it easy for us due to the Umrah visas that we had which made it easier for us to do our Ziyarats too. Excellent service with no issues.

Nadia