Quick word from Rabbi Eli:

Buenos Aires is rightfully known as the Paris of South America. You must have heard of its stunning western-style architecture, grand avenues, sophisticated café culture, boutiques, cosmopolitan atmosphere, eclectically vibrant fashion and restaurant scene – we’ve learned to expect it of the capital. What you may not know however is that it boasts the third largest Jewish community in the Americas, second only to NYC and LA.

Early Sephardic arrivals, Ashkenazi pioneers fleeing the pogroms in Russia, and the very diverse influx of our people from all over the world in the 20th century were responsible for the plethora of synagogues, yeshivot, JCCs, kosher restaurants and secular Zionist establishments throughout the city. Come to experience all that and more – in a much more welcoming atmosphere, I assure you, than in that other Paris (France).

The capital would have enough to entertain us for many weeks (or months). We chose the top of the crop to spend 9 busy days here (including 2 day trips) before moving on to Iguazu.

Itinerary

 Aug 2-12, 2026 

Sun, Aug 2 –

Arrival in Buenos Aires – Retiro, Recoleta, look hard, party harder

         Come earlier, see more! Most of our travellers seem to be planning to arrive the night before, if not even earlier, so we’ll be starting off on our first tour right after breakfast (let us know if you’d like assistance with booking extra nights in the city).

          We’ll do our best not to do any of the absolute must-see highlights in the morning before everyone has the chance to join us – but yes, this tour is fairly packed with experiences, and we’ll jump straight into two of the poshest central neighbourhoods (barrios) in the city: Retiro and Recoleta. Monuments, landmarks, mansions, palaces, history and architecture both classic and colonial – we’ll throw you in off the deep end.

          However, we promise you a bit of time to rest and catch your breath before joining everyone at the customary welcome dinner to enjoy the fabulous grilled meats, music and each other’s company at a local Glatt Kosher establishment. 

Mon, Aug 3 –

City Centre

         We’ll start off the morning by learning of one of the more shameful pages in the city’s history, as we set off to uncover the story of its many Nazi denizens. While exploring Argentina’s role in hiding the Nazi criminals, we will also visit the Holocaust Museum on a guided tour. (Remember; Argentina was also one of the pitifully few states that let in thousands of Jews, both officially and illegally, shortly before welcoming their murderers).

          After lunch in the area (the location of which should also provide us the opportunity to admire El Ateneo Grand Splendid, an old theatre that received its second life as a decadent bookstore), we will explore the very centre of the city. We’ll see the famous Casa Rosada (yep, if you are a real fan of Evita, you’ll know just the balcony), try to catch the changing of the guard at the Metropolitan Cathedral, visit Cabildo and learn the story of May revolution.

Walk down the broad avenue from Plaza de Mayo to the National Congress, take in the impressive view of Palacio Barolo.

          The dinner is on our own – for certified kosher options, we recommend Café Luba in Recoleta. (tip: Not only are both the prices and quality very decent, but their evening bar offers cocktails named after the 10 Sefirot of Kabbalah).

For anyone feeling the night is still young, we are offering an optional small group tango lesson in Villa Crespo (just for us; needs to be booked in advance).

Or, if you are keen just to dance and watch others dance, we can help you find the best milonga for your taste.

Tues, Aug 4 –

The Jewish Buenos Aires

          This is a full day tour. If the previous two days mostly allowed us to explore on foot, today we might make use of the subway at least once (depending on everyone’s physical shape and disposition).

           Starting from Once neighbourhood, once the hub for Jewish immigration, we’ll see some of the local synagogues and AMIA (Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina) that serves both as JCC and a living monument to the victims of the terrible terrorist bombing in 1994.

           Abasto shopping mall will offer ample lunch options. From here, we will go to the Jewish Museum at Templo Libertad, the opulent synagogue built at the very end of 19th c with a lot of Romanesque and Byzantine influence. It is the first Schule in Buenos Aires, and bears tremendous historical and cultural significance to Jews and Gentiles alike.

            We invite you to join us tonight for a kosher dinner and tango show. After much deliberation, we made it optional for a surcharge merely because there is a great variance in the ticket options and costs (see the pricing section below). However, we strongly believe it is not to be missed!

Wed, Aug 5 –

Day Trip to Tigre, Vicente Lopez and Olivos

          Our bus will take us in the morning on a peaceful escape to the picturesque Tigre delta. Enjoy a beautiful walkway along the riverside with quaint parks and welcoming plazas, take a relaxed boat tour down the river, enjoy the views and relax in the nature.

          In the evening, upon return to the city, we hope to organize a meeting with the local Jewish community at the Jabad soup kitchen in Once. Their schedules do change, so it can’t be guaranteed, but we will try. Of course, there will also be opportunities to socialize with the community on Shabbat.

Thur, Aug 6 –

Choose: Uruguay or City Museums/Teatro Colon

Uruguay:          Today we give you Colonia del Sacramento. 

          We set out to cross the widest river in the world by ferry from the pier of Puerto Madero. About 70 minutes and 2 border controls later, we will arrive in the colourful UNESCO heritage town of Colonia del Sacramento. Its cobblestoned historical centre remembers the days when it was a Portuguese settlement. A local guide meets everyone arriving for sightseeing. She will take us on a pleasant and not-very-challenging tour of about 90 minutes by way of a general introduction to the town and its history. This is a day of plain light fun, no heavy barrage of facts – when the guided part of the tour is over, roam the small old town, browse the artisanal crafts at the local market, take a selfie at the charming Calle de los Surprisos, see what remains of the old bullring, admire whatever offerings of the Uruguayan cuisine appeal to you at the local cafes, and let your hair down.

          Upon return to Buenos Aires (late afternoon/early evening), we can explore the very gentrified, hipster Puerto Madero with the iconic bridge Puente de la Mujer, and, if you’d like, have dinner together at one of the posher restaurants here (Glitter at the Alvear Icon hotel is Glatt Kosher and does absolutely mouthwatering steaks, albeit somewhat pricey). At the end of the evening, we can walk, take Uber or the subway back to the hotel.

City Museums/Teatro Colon:  We do realize that some of you may be averse to ferries or avoidable border crossings. Therefore, we provide an alternative for anyone who’d rather stay in town and further catch up on the cultural side of things.

            Instead of a trip to Colonia, we will offer you tickets to any or all of the following:

-       A guided tour of Teatro Colon

-       MALBA museum

-       Museo de Belles Artes

You may also want to visit the shopping mall of Galerias Pacifico, perhaps not so much for buying an expensive scarf of cologne as to marvel at the fancy architecture and interior of the last quarter of the 19th century. While the only guided part of that itinerary is Teatro Colon, everything else will be quite self-evident, very easy to find, and located in the safest areas of the city.

Of course, we can all meet in Puerto Madero in the evening.

Fri, Aug 7 –

Palermo Street Art, Recoleta Cemetery. Kabbalat Shabbat

          The morning will be dedicated to two walking tours. On one, we will discover the wealth of street art on the streets of Palermo Soho (it is more exciting than it sounds, even for the street art enthusiasts!). The other will take us to Recoleta on a visit to one of the most opulent cemeteries on the planet. Built like a city, it features intersecting avenues, above-ground mausoleums, stones and monuments in art-nouveau, neo-gothic, art-deco, baroque, and gazillions of other styles. Expect each of the 2 tours to take between 1.5 and 2 hours. That should leave us sufficient time to freshen up and prepare for the Shabbat.

          We’ll need a bus to take us to Belgrano (and back later in the evening). Amjai is a beautiful warm Conservative congregation. They run Carlebach-style services. After Kabbalat Shabbat and Ma’ariv, we’ll have our Shabbat dinner there.

            On the way back to the hotel, we can catch a glimpse of the Chinatown.

Sat, Aug 8 –

Puerto Madero Jabad

          Shacharit and Kiddush at Jabad Puerto Madero. After the meal, our guide will take us on a relaxed walking tour of Puerto Madero and Costanera Sur before leaving us at the hotel to rest.

          Everyone is welcome to join Jabad for Minchah and/or Havdalah, of course.

          Buenos Aires is really big on speakeasies (surprisingly so for a place that never experienced Prohibition, not for a single day). Rabbi Eli is offering to show us the quirkiest of these quasi-seedy venues. Conversely, we can help you book another tango show or even get tickets to Teatro Colon (repertoire TBA, must be reserved a couple months ahead).

Sun, Aug 9 –

San Telmo and La Boca

          San Telmo is always a festive, fun-loving barrio. It is particularly fun though on a Sunday, when its celebrated feria is held. Hundreds of antiques dealers, artisans, craftsmen and buskers set shop in and all around Plaza Dorrego. Browse their stalls, enjoy street tango performances, grab a piping hot empanada, see the local artists at work. From there, we’ll head to Caminito, the vibrantly colourful open-air museum in the nearby barrio of La Boca.

            See for yourself La Bombonera, home to the Boca Juniors football club. See Farmacia de la Estrella, the oldest apothecary in town with its original décor intact. On the way back, we’ll enjoy the views of Avenida Corrientes and 9 Julio at night.

            There will just be the time to freshen up before dinner. Even though almost everybody is likely to continue with the group to Iguazu, we are holding our Farewell Dinner on this night to ensure we can offer a proper Argentinian BBQ of its highest quality and variety in a suitable kosher restaurant.

Mon, Aug 10 –

Palermo; departure to Iguazu

          We’ll dedicate the morning to exploring certain additional highlights of the largest barrio in B-A. Take a look at the hippodrome, the mosque of Palermo, botanical gardens, Jardin Japones, and many more of the trendy cafes, boutiques and parks this vast area has to offer in its distinct sub-neighbourhoods.

We’ll give everyone time to have lunch at a kosher café before leaving for the city airport for our flight to Iguazu – the largest waterfall system in the world.

Upon the evening arrival at our hotel in Iguazu, if you are not too tired, we recommend taking a short taxi ride to the nearby Tres Fronteras; a small town at the triple border of Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay. Walk the main street, take a peek at the foreign countries across the frontiers, sit at the Ice Bar for a drink; whatever you do, come back not too late, with your batteries recharged for the next morning.

Tues, Aug 11 –

Iguazu Falls, Argentina

          The park on the Argentinian side of the falls can easily take the whole day to explore. You will have a choice between taking, along with our guide, 2 or 3 (for those who like a little bit of challenge) looped walks on the trails with close-up access and gorgeous views of the majestic cascades.

          We’ll aim to get back to the city by 5 pm, so that anyone who is interested can visit (optional and self-guided) BioCentro Iguazu, the ecological park introducing patrons to the diverse biosphere of the region.

Wed, Aug 12 –

Iguacu Falls, Brazil

          This is the last day of our core trip. In the morning, we will cross the border to Brazil and explore the falls from the other side, which will expose us to the broad vistas of their most praised panoramic views. Anyone interested can purchase a helicopter ride over the falls (much recommended).

            The park here is much smaller than the one we will have visited the day before. In the afternoon, we’ll be already leaving – some for the Brazilian airport to take the flight onwards to Rio, others, perhaps, to bid us farewell and return to the Argentinian side.

 The optional add-on: Rio

Wed, Aug 12 –

Arrival in Rio

          We will check in at our Copacabana hotel in the evening, in time to relax and have a welcome drink. You can take the opportunity to wish Rabbi Eli happy birthday.

Thurs, Aug 13 –

Full day city tour

          We are going on a full day city tour. Our bus will take us from the Redeemer statue with its world-famous panoramic views to a walk by Maracana stadium. After a brief stop at the gorgeous Confiteria Colombo (a worthy historical landmark of the city's Belle Epoque) we move on for a visit of the Metropolitan Cathedral with its super-modern architectural looks. After a buffet lunch in the city (ideally, somewhere near Escaderia Seladon which will offer us the opportunity to admire both the fine mosaics and the surrounding street art), we’ll take the cable car to mountains Urca and Sugarloaf to enjoy the best sunset views in Rio, hands down.

            We invite everybody to a music night of Bossa Nova at the historical Becca das Garrafas (keep in mind, we can’t be late. In fact, if we are not a bit early, they’ll simply shrug and resell our tickets. However, it’s so worth the effort.).

Fri, Aug 14 –

Full day city tour

            Today, we give you 2 options. The first one, much recommended, is visiting a local favela. The bus will only get us so far – then, we’ll be met by the elderly favela denizens on motorbikes (trust me, they ride very carefully and gently). This is a unique tour offering the chance to catch a glimpse of everyday life in a very informal and tightly knit community. While a huge portion of the favela’s income comes from organized criminal enterprises, it is hard to imagine a place in all of Rio where you’d be safer than here.

We’ll be back in time to get some rest before Shabbat.

Every group that we took to the favela saw it, in hindsight, as one of the greatest highlights of the entire trip. However, if you are certain it is not for you, we offer you the alternative of a jeep tour of Tijuca; a real rain forest in the middle of the city, the largest of its kind in the world (for that, we’ll need at least 5 people to choose this option).

            We will all meet at the lobby around candle lighting time to go to Chabad for the service and Shabbat meal.

Sat, Aug 15 –

Shabbat

            Morning services and Shabbat meal at Chabad Copa.

            For everyone up to a walk, we’ll take you to the fortress and Ipanema (figure at least 2.5 hours walk. Anyone not up to it can just rest, or take a stroll near the hotel).

            In the evening, we can roam the open music venues of Copacabana (Samba Beach Club, jazz at Blue Note, etc).

Sun, Aug 16 –

The last day

            Botanical gardens of Rio offer incredible unspoiled natural beauty (we need to start off early though, to avoid the worst of the lines and the traffic). From here, we’ll continue for a buffet lunch at the Jewish centre, and use the opportunity to make acquaintance of the local Sephardic community.

            And, to get a look at the city from another unexpected angle, we’ll finish the day with a tour of the African Heritage in Rio. It is certain to show you Brazil from a totally new side.

 Pricing and conditions

 This message, as always, is for friends. There are no tricks, no hidden taxes or fees, no “contact us for pricing if you might be interested”. What you see is what you get, and the offer is as good as they come.

The price of the main package (Buenos Aires and Iguazu) for the members of The Lodzer is CAD$3,720 per person.

We also ask for a $180 per person donation to The Lodzer (with a charitable donation receipt, of course).

The offer is per person at double occupancy (single occupancy supplement $980).

For the non-members of The Lodzer, the price will be a little higher; $4,200 per person, plus a suggested $360 donation to The Lodzer.

Early bird special: for anyone who will register before Jan 15, 2026, we will include the flight tickets from Buenos Aires to Iguazu.

The price for the Rio add-on for the members of The Lodzer is CAD$1,780 per person.

The offer is per person at double occupancy (single occupancy supplement $480).

 The package includes:

 -          10 nights in excellent hotels throughout the trip (5-star in Buenos Aires, 4-star in Iguazu)

-          10 hotel breakfasts, 2 full Shabbat meals, 2 dinners at local kosher restaurants in Argentina (2 more Shabbat meals and 4 hotel breakfasts in Rio)

-          comfortable tourist coach where necessary as described

-          Rabbi Eli, Cantor David and local English-speaking guides staying with you as per the program

-          Sites, entertainment, and events' entry fees described above as included

-          Airport transfers to Buenos Aires city airport on Aug 10th and to Iguacu (Brazilian side) airport on Aug 12th

-          All applicable taxes and surcharges

 The Rio Add-On Package includes:

 -          4 nights at a very good 4-star hotel in Copacabana, 10-minute walk from Chabad

-          English-speaking guides as described

-          comfortable tourist coach where necessary as described

-          2 full Shabbat meals at Chabad Copacabana

-          entry fees as described

-          airport transfer to the hotel in Rio on the day of arrival

 The packages do not include:

 -          Insurance (cancellation, personal, luggage, etc); please do get it, as the small group commitment does not leave much room for cancellation refunds

-          Tango show with a kosher dinner (the prices subject to change, currently – US$80 non-VIP seats, $150 VIP seats)

-          Flights (other than the early bird special to Iguazu)

-          Extra nights in any of the destinations

-          Personal expense (e.g. souvenirs etc)

-          Anything not covered by the program

-          Meals except those listed above

-          Airport transfers on the first and last day

-          Single occupancy surcharge (CAD$980 for Argentina and CAD$460 for Rio)

-      Tips for the local service providers (i.e. the guides, the bus drivers, the waiters etc., optional; suggested: USD$100 pp in Argentina, will be collected on the last day | $35 in Rio, most of it can be given to the service providers as you go)

 Payment schedule:

                       - 50% upon registration 

                      - 50% by Apr 15, 2026

                      - Donation by July 15, 2026

 Please note that since the departure is guaranteed, each payment becomes non-refundable upon its collection date! Make sure to get good insurance covering cancellations and interruptions!

 Suggestions and ideas:

                        - If continuing to Rio, you can buy a multi-destination ticket (with Air Canada, for instance) to Buenos Aires via Sao Paolo, then return direct from Sao Paolo. The rest of the flights you’ll need to add are domestic flights in Argentina and Brazil. Let us know if you'd like assistance with picking your flights. 

                       - If there is significant interest (say, 6-8 people or more) in flying through a particular city, Rabbi Eli will happily consider joining you on the way there or back to offer a tour of that destination.

                      - Talk to us if you need special dietary, mobility, or other accommodations. We'll do our best.

 Hotels list:

 -          Buenos Aires, 5 stars, 8 nights:  https://tinyurl.com/yxmkm356

-          Iguazu, 4 stars, 2 nights:             https://www.iguazujunglelodge.com/en

-          Rio de Janeiro, 4 stars, 4 nights: https://windsorhoteis.com/hotel/windsor-excelsior-copacabana/

                                *  As always, we may have to change the hotels for logistical reasons.

 General Notes and FAQs:

Some of us would like having as tightly packed a schedule as ever, while others prefer having some time on their own to relax and explore at own pace. We are doing what we can in order to cater to both tastes by arranging the entire itinerary in flexible parts, sort of modules. You will find some plans and activities here that you will be able to skip without missing out on the trip as a whole. Contact us for suggestions on what are the absolute must-do’s and what can be missed if you need more “you-time”.

-       How fit do I have to be overall to enjoy this trip?

We do not expect anyone to stand up to serious athletic challenges. If you can walk for a few hours on a moderately paced guided tour with stops, including some urban ascents and descents, you’ll fit in.

-       Can I only go to Buenos Aires but not to Iguazu? Or, come to Iguazu and/or Rio but not Buenos Aires?

It is possible. Reach out to us to check the prices and possibilities.

-       I only eat certified kosher. Fish/vegetarian/vegan options do not work for me. Will you be able to accommodate me on this trip?

Buenos Aires has a wide variety of kosher cafes, eateries and restaurants. On the day trips, as well as in Iguazu, we can only provide certified boxed meals. Contact us for prices.

-       I have other dietary limitations. Will you be able to accommodate me on this trip?

We’ll do our best. Please let us know before registering.

-       Can I upgrade my hotel room?

If you are looking for a suite, a bigger room, or something special, it might be possible in comes cases. Please contact us for options.

-       I have a question that is not covered here.

Please contact us! We love hearing from you. Write to, or call Rabbi Eli directly.