Hamidiye Education Center · ICCR · 1448 AH
Our community has served Rochester since 1997, and teaching has always come before travel here. This guide is written the way we teach: the timeline first, then the choices that actually shape the journey, then the rites themselves — so that by the time you open Nusuk, nothing on the screen is unfamiliar.
Hajj is the fifth pillar of Islam, obligatory once in a lifetime for every Muslim who is physically and financially able. Since 2022, pilgrims from the United States and Canada book it exclusively through Nusuk Hajj, the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah’s official platform. There is no other legitimate route, and no travel agency can sell you a Hajj package outside it.
What a travel operator does provide is everything around the booking: the group flight from North America, the imam and murshid who travel with you, the seminars beforehand, the ziyarat programme, the transport at the Mashair sites, and someone reachable when something goes wrong at three in the morning in Mina. Hamidiye Education Center of Rochester (ICCR) works with Hisar Tour, the travel arm of the United American Muslim Association, for exactly that. Everything on this page links through to Hisar Tour’s Hajj 2027 registration guidance and packages, where you can compare tiers in detail and pre-register at no cost.
Timing
Hajj 2027 falls in 1448 AH. The dates below follow the Umm al-Qura calendar; the confirmed dates come from the Saudi moon-sighting committee closer to the season.
| Day of Hajj | Hijri date | Expected Gregorian date | What happens |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yawm at-Tarwiyah | 8 Dhul-Hijjah 1448 | Friday, 14 May 2027 | Enter ihram, move to Mina |
| Day of Arafah | 9 Dhul-Hijjah 1448 | Saturday, 15 May 2027 | Standing at Arafat, night at Muzdalifah |
| Eid al-Adha | 10 Dhul-Hijjah 1448 | Sunday, 16 May 2027 | Jamarat, Qurbani, Tawaf al-Ifadah |
| Days of Tashreeq | 11–13 Dhul-Hijjah 1448 | Mon 17 – Wed 19 May 2027 | Mina days, stoning the three Jamarat |
The registration window
The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah had not published the 1448 timetable when this page was written. The 1447 cycle is documented, however, and gives a clear two-stage structure worth understanding before it repeats.
A point worth teaching plainly: registration is eligibility, not reservation. Every year pilgrims believe an account secures them a place. It does not. The place is secured at the booking stage, months later, and only for those already verified and funded.
Getting there from Rochester
Hisar Tour’s group departures leave from six North American gateways, and none of them is Rochester. That is not a problem, but it is something to plan rather than discover.
Do not book the connection until the package is confirmed. Group flight timings are finalised alongside the Nusuk booking. A cheap non-refundable ticket bought too early is the most common avoidable loss on this journey.
Before you travel
A pilgrim who understands the rites before departure has a different Hajj from one who is following instructions in a crowd. Hisar Tour runs a free webinar series precisely for this, and it costs nothing to attend before you have committed to anything.
Nusuk registration, verification, the eWallet, the official timeline, and a full walkthrough of the booking screens — zones, shifting and non-shifting, Mina camps, room types, photo upload and adding companions.
Entering ihram, the Talbiyah and the niyyah for each rite; Tawaf, Sa’i, the Rawdah and the ziyarat sites; then Mina, Arafat, Muzdalifah and the Jamarat, day by day, so that the sequence is already familiar.
Packing, medication planning, hydration and heat, crowd management, what to carry in Mina, and a final live question session before departure. Recordings are shared, which matters if you are working when a session runs.
The 2027 tiers
Five package tiers are published for 2027, aligned to the Nusuk Luxury and Premium categories. Each is complete: visa, flights, both cities, the Mashair days, transport, catering and religious guidance.
from $12,300quad room · incl. group flight · ≈11 nights
Departs from New York (JFK), Washington (IAD)
Pre-register — Platinumfrom $11,200quad room · incl. group flight · ≈14–15 nights
Departs from New York (JFK), Washington (IAD)
Pre-register — Platinum Shiftingfrom $11,500quad room · incl. group flight · ≈13 nights
Departs from JFK, IAD, ORD, IAH, LAX, YYZ
Pre-register — Goldfrom $10,400quad room · incl. group flight · ≈14–15 nights
Departs from JFK, IAD, ORD, IAH, LAX, YYZ
Pre-register — Gold Shiftingfrom $11,200quad room · incl. group flight · ≈14 nights
Departs from JFK, IAD, ORD, IAH, LAX, YYZ
Pre-register — SilverStarting prices are per pilgrim in a shared quad room and include the group flight from North America. Triple, double and single rooms are available at Nusuk checkout at higher rates. Hotels may be substituted with comparable properties. These are Hisar Tour’s published 2027 planning figures — the binding price is the one shown inside Nusuk when sales open.
The fine print
The inclusions are consistent across tiers; what varies between them is location and movement, not the service list. The exclusions are where budgeting goes wrong.
Inclusions differ slightly between tiers and are finalised inside Nusuk at checkout. Confirm the list against your specific package before you pay, rather than against this page.
The two decisions that matter
The terms appear on every Nusuk package and are the strongest single determinant of price.
Mina
Two camps are used across the Nusuk packages. Understanding the difference before you book is worth more than any other single piece of preparation on the logistics side.
The closest camp to the Jamarat Bridge, holding around 5,000 pilgrims with the highest level of service. The daily stoning becomes a short walk. Used in the Platinum packages, and available as an upgrade on others.
A large, well-equipped camp taking up to 44,000 pilgrims, with everything needed for the Mina days. Practical and comfortable, used across the Gold and Silver tiers. The trade-off is the daily walk.
Three days, two directions each day, in May heat, after Arafat and Muzdalifah. For a fit pilgrim in their thirties, four kilometres is manageable. For a parent in their seventies it decides whether the Mina days are bearable. Price the camp choice into the decision honestly.
The six days
The rites in sequence, with the ruling that governs each. This is the material the pre-departure seminars cover in depth.
Ihram is entered with the intention for Hajj and the Talbiyah is resumed. The group travels to Mina and prays the five prayers there, shortened, across the day and night. Nothing is required beyond presence and preparation.
The standing at Arafah from the declining of the sun until sunset is the pillar upon which the Hajj rests; its omission cannot be compensated. After sunset the pilgrim proceeds to Muzdalifah, combines Maghrib and Isha there, rests, and collects pebbles.
Four acts fall on this day: stoning Jamarat al-Aqabah, the sacrifice, shaving or trimming, and Tawaf al-Ifadah with its Sa’i. The first release from ihram follows the stoning and shaving; the full release follows the Tawaf.
The pilgrim remains in Mina and stones the three Jamarat in order each day after the sun declines, beginning with the smallest. Departure on the twelfth is permitted for those who leave Mina before sunset.
The farewell Tawaf is obligatory for pilgrims returning beyond the boundary, and is the final act performed in Makkah.
Filmed with Hisar Tour groups during previous seasons. Watch the full films and pilgrim testimonials in six languages.
Eligibility and paperwork
Eligibility and documentation, set out separately. The documentation is where delays occur; the eligibility is rarely the obstacle people expect.
Your Hajj visa is issued through Nusuk once the package is confirmed. There is no separate embassy application for pilgrims from the United States or Canada.
Support
Women of all ages travel on these departures, with or without a mahram, under current Saudi rules for organised groups.
Most pilgrims on these groups are going for the first time, and many are travelling with a parent.
Learn from other people
Getting there
Group flights are normally routed through a single connection to Jeddah or Madinah. Availability by tier is confirmed at booking.
For this community, that is normally JFK, reached by a short connection from Rochester (ROC).
State your city at pre-registration. If you need a connection to reach the gateway, it is planned with you rather than left to chance.
Your calendar
A study and preparation calendar as much as a booking one. The two run in parallel and both take longer than people expect.
The dates for the Nusuk stages are projections based on the previous season, not announcements. The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah confirms them through the Nusuk platform.
Terminology
Who runs the journey
Recognition, volume and recent experience are the three things worth verifying about any operator. All three are checkable here.
Pre-registration takes no payment and commits you to nothing. It puts you on the notification list for the moment Nusuk opens, lets the team match you to a package and a departure city, and gives you someone to ask before the rush rather than during it.
You can also book a free video consultation, join the Telegram channel for season announcements, or read the step-by-step Nusuk registration guide.
Questions
You travel to a gateway city and join the group there. For Upstate New York that is normally JFK, which serves every 2027 package tier. The onward group flight to Jeddah or Madinah is already inside the package price; getting yourself to JFK is the part you arrange. Arrive the night before rather than connecting the same day, and do not book that connection until the Nusuk package and the group flight timing are confirmed.
Hajj 2027 is 1448 AH. Dhul-Hijjah is expected to begin around 7–8 May 2027. The Day of Tarwiyah falls on Friday 14 May, the standing at Arafah on Saturday 15 May, Eid al-Adha on Sunday 16 May, and the days of Tashreeq run 17–19 May. These come from the Umm al-Qura calendar and are confirmed by the Saudi moon-sighting committee closer to the time; a one-day shift either way is normal.
Hisar Tour runs a free live webinar series covering Nusuk registration, a full walkthrough of the booking platform, and then the rites themselves week by week — ihram and intention, Tawaf and Sa’i, the Rawdah and ziyarat, and the days of Mina, Arafat, Muzdalifah and the Jamarat. Sessions are recorded and shared. There is no cost and no obligation to book anything.
It had not opened when this page was written. The previous cycle is the best guide available: account registration opened on 7 October 2025 and the booking and payment window opened on 1 February 2026. A similar shape for 1448 would put account registration in late 2026 and booking in early 2027. The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah announces the real dates through Nusuk, and Hisar Tour notifies everyone who has pre-registered.
Per pilgrim in a shared quad room with the group flight included: Gold Shifting from $10,400, Silver and Platinum Shifting from $11,200, Gold from $11,500, Platinum from $12,300. Triple, double and single rooms cost more and are chosen at Nusuk checkout. These are Hisar Tour’s 2027 planning estimates based on real 2026 room rates — Nusuk publishes the binding figure.
Majar Al-Kabsh sits 300–700 m from the Jamarat Bridge and takes around 5,000 pilgrims with the highest service level; it appears in the Platinum packages. Al-Muaisim is roughly 4 km from the Jamarat and holds up to 44,000 pilgrims; it is used across the Gold and Silver tiers and is well equipped. The difference is the daily walk during the three days of Tashreeq, when you are most tired.
A passport valid for at least six months beyond travel, a Nusuk account with a compliant photo at 200×200 pixels on a white background, and a funded eWallet. Saudi authorities have typically required meningococcal ACWY vaccination, usually at least ten days before arrival. The confirmed 2027 health requirements are published nearer the season, so do not rely on last year’s list.
Yes. Hisar Tour provides guidance in Turkish, English, Arabic and Urdu, both through the registration process and on the ground during the journey. Bluetooth headsets are used so that guidance is audible in the crowds, which is where language becomes a real problem otherwise.
No. Payment for the Hajj package itself is made inside the Nusuk eWallet on the Saudi government platform. Hisar Tour provides the guidance, the group flights, the imam and murshid, the seminars and the on-ground support. Nobody should ever ask for your Nusuk password.
Yes, and it costs nothing. Pre-register with Hisar Tour, book a free video consultation, or join the Telegram channel for announcements. None of that obligates you to book — it means that when Nusuk opens you are prepared rather than rushing.
Makkah
In Makkah everything is priced by distance from Al-Masjid al-Haram. The zone letter on a Nusuk package tells you how far you will walk, five times a day, for up to two weeks.
The innermost ring: a walk of roughly five minutes or less, sometimes with the courtyards in view. The Gold and Silver tiers sit here. This is the zone worth paying for if you are travelling with elderly parents.
Further out, with shuttle transport at prayer times. Comfortable, cheaper, and entirely workable for pilgrims who are steady on their feet.
The most affordable accommodation, with the longest transfers. Fine for some pilgrims and difficult for others. Know which you are before you book.
لَبَّيْكَ اللَّهُمَّ لَبَّيْك
Pre-registration is free, takes no payment, and puts you on the list to be notified the moment Nusuk opens for 1448. If you would rather ask questions first, every option below is also free.
Rochester, NY
hajj.nusuk.sa
Registration, booking and payment happen here and nowhere else.
