Guides who walk with you
How to tell a mutawwif from a ziyarah guide, and every guide who has listed themselves with Go Labbayk.
Two different jobs are both called "guide" in English, and booking the wrong one is the most common mistake a first-time pilgrim makes. A mutawwif takes you through the rites themselves. A murshid shows you the sites. Ask which one you are speaking to.
Before you book a guide
A mutawwif and a murshid are not the same job
A mutawwif (مطوّف) guides pilgrims through the manasik — ihram, tawaf, sa'i, tahallul — and the role sits inside a licensed Saudi system. A murshid is a ziyarah guide who takes you to the historical sites. If you want someone beside you during tawaf, you are asking for a mutawwif.
Ask to see the licence, not the reviews
Guiding pilgrims in Makkah is regulated. Anyone can print a business card; a licence number can be checked. Ask for it, ask which language they guide in fluently rather than "a little", and ask how many people they take at once.
Agree the scope before the day
Settle in advance how many hours, how many people, where you meet, and whether transport and entry costs are included. Umrah with an unhurried guide takes several hours. A guide with another group booked behind yours will move at their pace, not at yours.
Guides listed here
Each registered their own listing. Message them directly and agree the details between you.
