Safa Travel

I booked two Umrah trips with Safa…stay away!!!

I booked two Umrah trips with Safa Travels for a large group of around 12 to 13 people, and both experiences were extremely stressful, misleading, and unacceptable. For the first trip, we dealt with an agent named Shafak who provided a good package and was professional. However, once she left, the management showed their true behaviour. Despite us paying the full amount, we were told months later that our hotel in Makkah Tower had not even been booked. This was shocking and completely unacceptable. We were then pressured to pay additional money for something that was already agreed and paid for. The situation became so stressful that it took weeks of arguments and escalation. It was clear they were trying to take advantage of the fact that we were already committed. Only when Shafak returned did things get resolved and the original promises were finally honoured. Unfortunately, this was not a one off issue. We made the mistake of trusting them again for another group booking the following year. This time, the booking was handled by another agent, SANIA. Initially, the package seemed fine, but the same pattern started again. After a couple of months, they began asking for more and more money with different excuses. We were forced to pay an additional 400 to 600 pounds per person. Payment terms that were clearly agreed were suddenly changed, and we were told to pay earlier than agreed. For months, we were constantly chased for extra payments. The communication was poor, unclear, and at times completely unprofessional. It felt like SANIA was being controlled by management and had no authority, as she was unable to give clear answers or stick to what was promised. Whenever we tried to escalate the issue, we were blocked from reaching proper management. We even contacted Time Travels, but they were unable to resolve the situation, which clearly shows a serious lack of accountability within Safa Travels. This company’s pattern is very clear. They attract customers with a lower initial price and then gradually increase the cost once you are locked in and have limited options. We also came across other customers who experienced similar issues, which confirms this is not an isolated case. This caused us months of stress for both trips, especially for something as important and spiritual as Umrah. Safa Travels failed to honour their commitments, lacked transparency, and showed highly unprofessional and unethical behaviour. I would strongly warn others not to book with them. We will never use their services again and will not recommend them to anyone.