Plan on about 9 h 19 min of driving for the 344-mile (553 km) trip from Barra do Piraí to Santa Leopoldina, before any stops.
- Level 4: Do Not Travel in Brazil: informal housing developments (favelas, vilas, comunidades or conglomerados).
Full advisory: Brazil. Advisory issued: Brazil August 31, 2026; checked October 10, 2026.
On the roads, the State Department says:
- Brazil: “Driving on Brazil’s roads poses significant risks.”
| Distance by road | 344 mi (553 km) |
|---|---|
| Driving time, no stops | 9 h 19 min |
| Main roads, in order | BR-393 → CMG-393 → RJ-186 → ES-297 → BR-101 → ES-080 |
| States on the route | Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais, Espírito Santo |
| Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg) | about 13.8 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic |
| Stops listed below | 9 |
How the Barra do Piraí to Santa Leopoldina drive plays out
BR-101 (101 mi) and RJ-186 (63 mi) carry about 48% of the 344 miles. It runs through 3 states: Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais, Espírito Santo. Of the 9 stops listed below, 3 are within a mile of the road.
Which roads connect Barra do Piraí and Santa Leopoldina
| Road | Route miles (from–to) | Length, mi | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| local roads | 0–2 | 2 | Rio de Janeiro |
| BR-393 | 2–49 | 47 | Rio de Janeiro |
| local roads | 49–55 | 6 | Rio de Janeiro |
| BR-393 | 55–62 | 7 | Rio de Janeiro |
| local roads | 62–94 | 32 | Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais |
| connecting roads | 94–96 | 2 | Minas Gerais |
| CMG-393 | 96–124 | 28 | Minas Gerais |
| connecting roads | 124–125 | 1 | Minas Gerais |
| RJ-186 | 125–188 | 63 | Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro |
| ES-297 | 188–217 | 29 | Rio de Janeiro, Espírito Santo |
| BR-101 | 217–318 | 101 | Espírito Santo |
| connecting roads | 318–321 | 3 | Espírito Santo |
| ES-080 | 321–343 | 22 | Espírito Santo |
| local roads | 343–344 | 1 | Espírito Santo |
- Mile 93 of this route: Rio de Janeiro → Minas Gerais (state line)
- Mile 130 of this route: Minas Gerais → Rio de Janeiro (state line)
- Mile 213 of this route: Rio de Janeiro → Espírito Santo (state line)
Breaking up the drive: stops between Barra do Piraí and Santa Leopoldina
- Right off the route (under 1 mile): Museu Casa da Hera (mile 13), Fazenda São Luiz da Boa Sorte (mile 28), Museu da Polícia Militar do Espírito Santo (mile 321)
- Nature and outdoors: Serra da Concórdia State Park (mile 13), Itabira Natural Monument (mile 248), Frade e a Freira Natural Monument (mile 252), Paulo César Vinha State Park (mile 300), Morro do Penedo Natural Monument (mile 319)
- Museums and history: Museu Casa da Hera (mile 13), Fazenda São Luiz da Boa Sorte (mile 28), Itabira Natural Monument (mile 248), Museu da Polícia Militar do Espírito Santo (mile 321), Ruins of the Church of São José do Queimado (mile 329)
Serra da Concórdia State Park
Serra da Concórdia State Park (Parque Estadual da Serra da Concórdia) is a state park in Rio de Janeiro state that protects an area of Atlantic Forest.
Museu Casa da Hera
Also known as Chácara da Hera, this house museum in central Vassouras, Rio de Janeiro state, shows how a wealthy family lived at the height of the Paraíba Valley coffee boom.
Fazenda São Luiz da Boa Sorte
Dating from the coffee era in Rio de Janeiro state's Paraíba Valley, Fazenda São Luiz da Boa Sorte is a historic estate listed by the state heritage institute.
Itabira Natural Monument
Itabira Natural Monument is a protected area in the state of Espírito Santo, Brazil, listed in the natural monument category.
Frade e a Freira Natural Monument
Created by state decree in 2007, the Frade e a Freira Natural Monument is a state-run protected area in Espírito Santo spanning parts of Itapemirim, Cachoeiro de Itapemirim and Vargem Alta.
Paulo César Vinha State Park
Along the Atlantic shore in Guarapari, Paulo César Vinha State Park protects dunes, lagoons and marshes. Its trails lead to the beach and to Lagoa de Caraís.
Morro do Penedo Natural Monument
Morro do Penedo Natural Monument protects a small sugarloaf-shaped hill on the shore of the bay south of Vitória, the capital of Espírito Santo state.
Museu da Polícia Militar do Espírito Santo
In Cariacica, the Espírito Santo Military Police Museum holds more than 600 objects and 900 photographs on the force's history, in a building that closely resembles the state's first barracks, Quartel do Moscoso.
Ruins of the Church of São José do Queimado
In the Queimado district of Serra, Espírito Santo, these church ruins stand as a historic reminder of the Queimado Insurrection, an 1849 slave uprising.
In Santa Leopoldina itself
Museu do Colono
Opened in April 1969, the Museu do Colono is a museum in Santa Leopoldina, Espírito Santo, and is run today by the state's Department of Culture.
Historic Center of Santa Leopoldina
Squeezed between hills and the Santa Maria River, the Historic Center of Santa Leopoldina (Núcleo Histórico de Santa Leopoldina) keeps buildings from the late 1800s and early 1900s. Espírito Santo listed it as a State Historic Site in 1983.
Igreja Sagrada Família
Igreja Sagrada Família, the mother church of Santa Leopoldina, Espírito Santo, was built in 1911 on top of a hill above the Santa Maria River valley.
More drives to Santa Leopoldina
- Guarapari to Santa Leopoldina
- Cachoeiro de Itapemirim to Santa Leopoldina
- Campos dos Goytacazes to Santa Leopoldina
- Itaperuna to Santa Leopoldina
- Muriaé to Santa Leopoldina
- Ipatinga to Santa Leopoldina
From Barra do Piraí to other places in Brazil
Frequently asked questions
How long is the drive from Barra do Piraí to Santa Leopoldina?
About 9 h 19 min of driving without stops, over 344 miles.
How far is Santa Leopoldina from Barra do Piraí by car?
About 344 miles (553 km) on the Wayro route. Other map services may show a few miles more or less, depending on where they start and end in each city.
What does the U.S. travel advisory say about the Barra do Piraí to Santa Leopoldina drive?
The U.S. State Department rates Brazil Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution. Read the full advisory before you go.
What roads does the drive from Barra do Piraí to Santa Leopoldina use?
In order: BR-393, CMG-393, RJ-186, ES-297, BR-101 and ES-080. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles for each one.
What are good stops between Barra do Piraí and Santa Leopoldina?
Closest to the road: Museu Casa da Hera (museum, mile 13, 0.6 mi from the route); Fazenda São Luiz da Boa Sorte (historic estate, mile 28, 0.1 mi from the route); Museu da Polícia Militar do Espírito Santo (police museum, mile 321, 0.2 mi from the route). All stops are described above.
How we put this guide together
Wayro calculates the route from OpenStreetMap road data; mile numbers are positions along this route, not highway markers, and "from the route" distances are straight-line, so the real detour depends on access roads. Stops are chosen from parks, natural sites, museums, historic sites and attractions close to the route: at least one strong stop for each stretch of the drive, then the best-known places nearest the road, up to nine in all. Places that are closed, private or not open to visitors are removed. Place descriptions are written by the Wayro team from official park, museum, tourism and government websites and other published sources. Safety levels and entry rules were checked against the U.S. Department of State on October 10, 2026. Conditions change, so check the linked sources before you travel.
Route data © OpenStreetMap contributors.