Planning
The best time for Umrah
There is no single best month. There is a month that suits your family, your heat tolerance, your leave and your budget. This page gives you the four things that decide it: the weather, the Hajj pause, Ramadan, and the Sri Lankan school year.
Key facts
- The Umrah visa is not active from 1 Dhul Qi'dah to 13 Dhul Hijjah, so Umrah pauses for Hajj each year.
- For 1448 AH the Umm al-Qura calendar puts 1 Dhul Hijjah on Friday 7 May 2027 and 13 Dhul Hijjah on Wednesday 19 May 2027.
- January is Makkah's coolest month, with an average high of 30.9 °C, and June its hottest at 43.9 °C, on 1991 to 2020 normals.
- 1 Ramadan 1448 AH is expected on Monday 8 February 2027 and Eid al-Fitr on Tuesday 9 March 2027 on the Umm al-Qura calendar.
- The Grand Mosque received more than 904,000 Umrah performers in a single day in Ramadan 1447 AH, with the final ten days the peak.
8 min read10 sourcesLast checked
The one window when Umrah stops
Umrah can be performed at any time of the year except the Hajj period. The structural rule, which does not change from year to year, is that the Umrah visa is not active from 1 Dhul Qi'dah to 13 Dhul Hijjah.
For 1448 AH, the Umm al-Qura calendar puts 1 Dhul Hijjah on Friday 7 May 2027 and 13 Dhul Hijjah on Wednesday 19 May 2027. Dhul Qi'dah is the month before, so expect Umrah to pause from around early April 2027 until the second half of May.
If Hajj itself is what you are planning, Umrah and Hajj: what is different covers the Sri Lankan registration process.
The weather, month by month
These are 1991 to 2020 climate normals. Average highs, not record highs. Makkah never has a month with an average high below 30 °C, so there is no cool season, only a less hot one.
| Month | Makkah high | Makkah low | Madinah high | Madinah low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 30.9 °C | 19.2 °C | 24.4 °C | 12.1 °C |
| February | 32.6 °C | 19.9 °C | 27.0 °C | 14.1 °C |
| March | 35.4 °C | 21.8 °C | 30.8 °C | 17.4 °C |
| April | 39.0 °C | 25.1 °C | 35.5 °C | 21.7 °C |
| May | 42.4 °C | 28.1 °C | 39.7 °C | 25.9 °C |
| June | 43.9 °C | 29.3 °C | 43.0 °C | 29.0 °C |
| July | 43.2 °C | 29.8 °C | 43.0 °C | 29.8 °C |
| August | 42.9 °C | 30.1 °C | 43.8 °C | 30.5 °C |
| September | 42.9 °C | 29.2 °C | 42.3 °C | 28.6 °C |
| October | 40.4 °C | 26.5 °C | 37.3 °C | 23.5 °C |
| November | 35.6 °C | 23.4 °C | 30.4 °C | 18.0 °C |
| December | 32.5 °C | 20.7 °C | 26.0 °C | 14.0 °C |
Swipe the table to see every column.
- Makkah's hottest month is June, with an average high of 43.9 °C. Its coolest is January, at 30.9 °C.
- Madinah's hottest month is August, at 43.8 °C.
- Madinah is much cooler than Makkah in winter. January averages a 24.4 °C high there against Makkah's 30.9 °C, and a 12.1 °C low against 19.2 °C. Pack something warm for Madinah nights in December and January, even though you are in Arabia.
Ramadan: the busiest weeks of the year
1 Ramadan 1448 AH is expected on Monday 8 February 2027, and Eid al-Fitr on Tuesday 9 March 2027, both on the Umm al-Qura calendar.
Ramadan in Makkah is crowded on a scale that is hard to picture. The Grand Mosque received more than 904,000 Umrah performers in a single day on the fourth day of Ramadan 1447 AH, a record single-day total reported by the Saudi Press Agency. The authority that runs the two mosques said its preparations were reinforced in anticipation of the surge during the final ten days, which is the peak within the peak.
That is the only official crowd figure we have, and we will not invent others. Take it for what it tells you: expect long waits, tight mataf access at prayer times, and a walk to your hotel that takes far longer than the map says.
The odd nights of the last ten of Ramadan 1448 fall on the nights before Sunday 28 February, Tuesday 2 March, Thursday 4 March, Saturday 6 March and Monday 8 March 2027. The Islamic night precedes the day, so each one begins the evening before. Scholars do not fix Laylat al-Qadr to a single night.
The Sri Lankan school year
The Ministry of Education's 2026 school calendar puts the Third Term, Second Phase from 7 September to 4 December 2026, so government schools close for the year on 4 December. Muslim schools follow a separate calendar with the same third-term phase.
Sri Lankan government schools close for the year in early December and reopen in January, which makes December a busy family travel month. We are not publishing exact vacation dates, because the secondary reports we found conflict with the official term-end date.
Two gazetted 2027 public and bank holidays are worth marking if you are booking leave: Id-Ul-Fitre on Wednesday 10 March 2027 and Id-Ul-Allah, the Hadji Festival Day, on Monday 17 May 2027. Both are subject to change on actual crescent sighting.
So which month?
| Months | What they are like | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| December to February | The coolest stretch. Makkah averages 30.9 to 32.6 °C, Madinah 24.4 to 27.0 °C. | Easiest on elderly travellers. December is a busy family month in Sri Lanka because schools close for the year. Madinah nights are genuinely cool. |
| Ramadan (8 February to 9 March 2027, expected) | Cool weather, and the most crowded weeks of the year. | Over 904,000 Umrah performers in one day was recorded in Ramadan 1447. The final ten days are the peak. |
| March to April | Warming fast. Makkah rises from 35.4 to 39.0 °C. | The last comfortable window before the Hajj pause begins. Eid al-Fitr falls on 9 or 10 March 2027. |
| Around April to May 2027 | Umrah pauses for Hajj. | 1 Dhul Hijjah 1448 is Friday 7 May 2027 and 13 Dhul Hijjah is Wednesday 19 May 2027. Saudi Arabia announces the exact suspension dates each year. |
| June to September | The hottest months. Makkah peaks at 43.9 °C in June, Madinah at 43.8 °C in August. | Manageable if you are fit and plan around the middle of the day. Hard on anyone who is not. |
| October to November | Cooling. Makkah falls from 40.4 to 35.6 °C, Madinah from 37.3 to 30.4 °C. | A reasonable middle ground, and outside both the Hajj window and the Ramadan peak. |
Swipe the table to see every column.
If you want our short answer: December to February if anyone in the group is elderly, October or November if you want to sit outside both the Hajj window and the Ramadan peak, and Ramadan only if you know what you are walking into and have made peace with the crowds.
Questions people ask
The Umrah visa is not active from 1 Dhul Qi'dah to 13 Dhul Hijjah. For 1448 AH, 1 Dhul Hijjah is expected on Friday 7 May 2027 and 13 Dhul Hijjah on Wednesday 19 May 2027. Saudi Arabia announces the exact permit suspension dates each year, and they have not been published for 2027.
January. Makkah's average high is 30.9 °C and its average low 19.2 °C; Madinah is much cooler at 24.4 °C and 12.1 °C. Makkah never has a month with an average high below 30 °C.
1 Ramadan 1448 AH is expected on Monday 8 February 2027 on the Umm al-Qura calendar. The start in Sri Lanka is confirmed by local moon sighting, announced by the ACJU Hilal Division with the Colombo Grand Mosque and the Department of Muslim Religious and Cultural Affairs.
The Grand Mosque received more than 904,000 Umrah performers in a single day on the fourth day of Ramadan 1447 AH, a record single-day total. The authority running the two mosques identified the final ten days of Ramadan as the peak.
The gazetted public holiday is set in advance, while the actual day is declared on local crescent sighting. For 2027 the gazette gives Eid al-Fitr as Wednesday 10 March and the Hadji Festival Day as Monday 17 May, each one day after the Umm al-Qura calculation. Both are correct for their own purpose.
Where this comes from
Everything on this page was checked against these sources on . Rules and prices change, so check the official pages before you pay for anything.
- Nusuk — Umrah may be performed at any time except the Hajj period
- Saudi Press Agency — the Umrah visa is not activated from 1 Dhul Qi'dah to 13 Dhul Hijjah
- Khaleej Times — Hajj 2026 Umrah permit suspension and Makkah entry rules
- Makkah climate normals, 1991 to 2020 (NOAA and Jeddah Regional Climate Center)
- Madinah climate normals, 1991 to 2020 (WMO and Jeddah Regional Climate Center)
- Saudi Press Agency — 904,000 Umrah performers in one day, Ramadan 1447
- Ada Derana — Sri Lanka's 2026 school term calendar
- Sri Lanka public and bank holidays 2027, Gazette Extraordinary 2493/05 (PDF)
- News First — no crescent sighted, Eid al-Fitr 2026 moved to 21 March
- Saudi Ministry of Health — health requirements and recommendations for Umrah travellers, 1447H (PDF)
