Trio brave elements and enjoy hospitality of fellow Muslims on 8,000km pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia for haj, a route not taken in 500 years.

More than 1.5 million Muslims from around the world gathered in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, for the Hajj, an Islamic pilgrimage to Islam’s holiest city. The religious trip is a once-in-a-lifetime duty for every Muslim who is financially and physically capable.

Saudi Arabia has barred more than 269,000 people without permits for the annual Hajj pilgrimage from entering Mecca this week, authorities said, as the world's largest annual gathering of people has officially begun.