What is the Tren Solar de la Quebrada?
Tren Solar de la Quebrada is the first Solar Train in Latin America and offers a unique travel experience in the Quebrada de Humahuaca. It is 100% sustainable and offers a zero-emissions journey for travellers. While the train itself is located in Jujuy Province, you can actually begin your journey from Salta, which we did in May of 2026.
If you are planning a trip to the region, be sure to check out this article to see if the experience is worth your time, plus which restaurants to try while you’re in the city. If you are looking to travel with Tren Solar from Salta to Jujuy, then this honest guide is for you!
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you book through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Guide Contents: Click to Jump to a Section
- The Hop-On, Hop-Off Itinerary: Key Stations & Stops
- My Experience Aboard the Tren Solar de la Quebrada: Is it Worth It?
- Where to Stay in Salta (Best Location for Tour Mornings)
- Tren Solar Ticket Prices & Booking Tips (2026)
- Essential Tips for Riding the Solar Train
The Hop-On, Hop-Off Itinerary: Key Stations & Stops
The train journey features 6 stops, including Volcán (x2), Tumbaya, Purmamarca, Maimará, and Tilcara.
You can also choose between two different experiences: The 360 Experience and the 180 Experience.
Tren Solar 180 Experience:
Group A: Purmamarca to Maimará and Group B: Purmamarca – Volcán
The 180 Experience captures a glimpse of the Quebrada de Humahuaca, and you get a beautiful scenic view of the mountains, cacti, and wildlife on the journey. Both of these routes begin and end in Purmamarca, with a journey time between 1.5 – 2.5 hours in total.
There is only one train for each of these 180 Experiences each day, as the trains are timed to coordinate with the 360 experience travellers.
Ticket Prices vary for adults, seniors, and children, and there are also different fares for the high season and low season times. Up-to-date ticket prices can be found on their official website here.
Tren Solar 360 Experience:
The 360 Experience is a round-trip journey starting from Volcán and takes you through all 6 stations. There are two different groups, and the only difference between them is the start time and the order of stations that you visit. Group A’s tour also begins one hour earlier than Group B. The total journey time is just over 10 hours (without transportation option), and if you book the “with transportation” option (from Salta, or Jujuy), then you will add an additional 1 or 2.5 hours of transit in a vehicle to get you to and from the Volcán station.
Group A: Volcán, Purmamarca, Maimará, c, Posta de Hornillos, and Tumbaya
Group B: Volcán, Tumbaya, Purmamarca, Posta de Hornillos, Maimará, and Tilcara.
My Experience Aboard the Tren Solar from Salta: Is it Worth It?
When we visited in May 2026, we found this train journey very intriguing. We decided to book it with little idea about what to actually expect! We wanted to experience the full journey, and so we opted to join the 360 Experience Group A tour, beginning in Salta.
Since we were staying in Salta, we needed the “with transportation” option for our booking. Our Group A tour meet-up was at 6:00 am at the Basílica Menor y Convento de San Francisco en Salta, located here. The Group B tour option only began an hour later (7:00 am) from the same location, and we could easily see that the train was busier than the 6:00 start time, so we decided to go with the earlier train.
Transit Van Pick-Up
There were 6 of us who started our journey in Salta, and we were picked up right on time at Basílica Menor y Convento de San Francisco en Salta at 6:00 am. We filed into a 12-seater sprinter van, and it was a quiet 2.5h journey to Volcán station.
The journey was smooth; however, it was very cold as the heat was not turned on for the ride for some reason. We were also travelling in May, which is the fall season, so it was a chilly journey for us (more on that later).
Volcán Station
We arrived about 20 minutes before our train departure, which was enough time to check in (passports are needed), get our wristband, grab a coffee and have a bathroom break. The bathrooms were very clean, and the coffee was just okay. Each coffee was 4000 ARS. Once we boarded the train, the train guide spoke about the trip and gave an overview of the experience. The guide spoke in Spanish, and as we were not able to fully understand the language, we communicated via a translation app to get some information about the trip.
Purmamarca Station
This was our second stop of the day, and it was certainly one of the highlights for me. When you arrive at Purmamarca station, another van will load up the travellers for a short 5-minute ride into Purmamarca itself. There, our guide led us into the market and explained a bit about our time there. He also led a small group to a viewing point of the Cerro de los Siete Colores (Seven Coloured Mountains).
We had about 1.5 hours to explore and spent the time up at the viewpoint here (1500 ARS for foreigners and yes it’s worth it!), shopping, and eating a tortilla. The time went by too quickly, and it would have been great if we had even had an extra hour to explore more. It did feel a bit rushed as we wanted to see the viewpoint; however, we did get some great pictures, and I even found a sweater at the market!
Shopping Tip: We stayed in Salta and found the exact same sweater in Purmamarca for half the price. If you are looking to do some shopping, then save it for Purmamarca!
Maimará Station
At Maimará Station, we had one hour to explore. We enjoyed our time here and found a street cart serving tamales, humitas, and empanadas! The cart location was here, and it was the highlight of our time at this station. We also walked towards this campsite area (just to the bridge) and saw this amazing view of the mountains!
Tilcara Station
Our mid-day stop was at Tilcara Station, and we had about 1.5 hours to explore. This is typically dedicated as a lunch spot here, as you won’t have much time to do anything else. We decided to eat at El Molle Tren Solar, and it was very tasty! We ordered a quinoa tortilla, a tamale and salad along with a cappuccino and a soda. They even served us an appetizer of lentils and toast, which tasted great! Our total bill came to 33,500 ARS, and we highly recommend eating there on your stop!
Recommendation: If you decide to eat here, head upstairs and dine out on the outdoor patio area!
Posta de Hornillos and Tumbaya Stations
The last two stops after midday were Posta de Hornillos and Tumbaya, with an hour at each station. At the Posta de Hornillos Station, you can visit the Posta Museum of Los Hornillos, which is located just a short distance away from the stop. There is an even guided tour in Spanish waiting for you if you decide to join. There is also a little restaurant next door, Restaurante El Patio Hornillos, which was a great spot for us to enjoy a tea and a beer.
At Tumbaya Station, it was nearing evening time, and the sun was setting. It was quite chilly for us in mid-May, and the temperature was about 5 degrees Celsius. Apart from a couple of shops near the station, it wasn’t exactly clear where the points of interest were, apart from the football pitch across the road. This could also have been something the guide had mentioned in Spanish, and we were not able to understand. Due to the cooler weather (my guess), not many guests on the train ventured too far into the village and remained right at the station near the few shops.
We did try to make the most of this stop, crossed the road and purchased alfajores (which were amazing) and also had a coffee and bread at the shop beside the station. We walked around the football field and tried to find the other points of interest; however, with the chilly weather, we cut the venture short and went back to the station.
Now the Big Question – Is it Worth It?
Yes – in the warmer months! The train journey itself is honestly really neat. The carts were very comfortable; it wasn’t too busy – and even if the train was more full, there was plenty of space for all passengers in their seating area.
There were views on either side of the train, and I loved seeing the cacti up close near the tracks with beautiful mountains in the background! The first three stops were very interesting, and despite not fully understanding the guide, we had a great experience exploring on our own.
Now, with the last two stops, having a bit warmer weather would have made the ending a bit more enjoyable, as we were mostly outdoors besides walking around the museum in Posta de Hornillos. We felt a bit chilly during both of these stops, as the sun was going down, it was a bit windy, and this made it less enjoyable just to simply walk and explore the area.
I would imagine that if we either had thicker jackets on or had warmer weather, it would have been more fun to take in the surroundings.
Transit Back to Salta
Now remember when I said that the transit van from Salta to Volcán was freezing at 6:00 am? Well, the same driver was there to drive us back from Volcán to Salta when we arrived at the station around 8:00 pm. Almost everyone in our group asked him to turn on the heat for us, and he did. Thus, it was a much more relaxing drive back to Salta, where we arrived around 10:30 pm.
In general, it is a great experience for anyone who likes low-key sightseeing, trains, and exploring small villages. You don’t get to spend a lot of time in each, but you catch a glimpse of what life looks like in these areas and can learn about the history in this region. For us, it was about a 16-hour day (6:00 am – 10:30 pm), but we didn’t feel completely exhausted as we had a comfortable train journey for the better part of the day.
Overall, I would certainly recommend it. It’s quite an interesting experience and unique to the region!
Where to Stay in Salta (Best Location for Tour Mornings)
If you are looking to book this unique experience, then I would highly recommend booking an accommodation that is centrally located. We stayed a bit farther away from downtown Salta, and (the tour meeting point at Basílica Menor y Convento de San Francisco en Salta), which meant we had quite the extra early morning since our tour began at 6:00 a.m.
Aim for a spot within a couple of blocks of Plaza 9 de Julio, as it puts you right near the morning tour departures and close to some awesome dining spots in the city.
You can use this interactive map to find a central apartment for a longer stay or a neat hotel room right in the heart of Salta:
Tren Solar Ticket Prices & Train Booking Tips (2026)
When we were getting information about the train, apart from the booking site, we found it a bit difficult to understand what exactly the train journey entailed, what the transportation looked like to and from Salta, and how to go about buying tickets. Overall, we found the best price to be on their website.
Our tickets cost 108.650,00 ARS each (total 217,300 ARS) from the website originally; since we paid by credit card, there was an additional surcharge. Thus, our actual total for the 360 Experience with transportation from Salta was 257,000 ARS.
The pick-up and drop-off location from Salta was at the Basílica Menor y Convento de San Francisco en Salta.
You can inquire and book through selected tour companies in the city. We were quoted 130,000 ARS and 153,000 ARS (even though 153,000 was the high-season price), and cash only. So in the end, we paid 128,500 ARS per person, including the additional fee added for using a credit card.
Tren Solar WhatsApp: If you have questions, contact Tren Solar directly on WhatsApp. I was able to communicate in English as well, had all of my questions answered and felt very confident booking directly. Their customer service is excellent!
Essential Tips for Riding the Solar Train
There are a few things that you will need to keep in mind when booking this train experience:
- Eating food is not allowed on the train
- There are no bathrooms on the train (not to worry, the bathrooms at all of the stations were very clean!)
- There are plugs and charging pads on the train
- Bring sunscreen and water
- Be sure to try local food at the stops. Recommendations include tortillas, tamales, and humitas!
- The earlier 360 Experience may have fewer people booked (you can see how many seats are available on your selected date on the main website)
- Throughout the train journey, you will have multiple guides (as they change at various stops)
- Although we booked specific seats, people seemed to sit wherever they wanted (this could be because there were so many empty seats)
If you are tight on time and looking for another Tren Solar experience, this tour offers an excursion that includes both Tren Solar and the Salinas Grandes. I missed out on seeing the Salinas Grandes and think this trip could offer a unique experience seeing the lesser-known salt flats nearby! Although we did not take this trip ourselves, it has excellent reviews, and I think it would be a great fit if you want to see the Salinas Grandes too!
Final Thoughts on our Tren Solar Experience from Salta to Jujuy
Overall, I thought that the Tren Solar de la Quebrada was a unique experience, and I’m happy that we chose this method of travel for our one-day excursion. If I had more time, I could see how renting a car and driving ourselves would have been awesome, as we could go at our own pace and spend more time in places that we want to see. With that said, the solar train was very comfortable; we didn’t have to worry about driving or renting a car, and we truly got to take in our surroundings while aboard the train.
Although it’s a bit pricier than other day trips, the relaxing nature of the train is worth the money. I highly recommend you simply purchase the ticket directly from their website and contact their customer service via WhatsApp if needed. If we were to go again, we would go when the weather was a bit warmer, but other than that, it truly was a fun trip!
This sums up our experience riding the Tren Solar in May of 2026! I hope that this information is helpful and provides more insight into this unique adventure! Happy Travelling!
