By road, Divinópolis and Araruama are about 365 miles (588 km) apart, or roughly 9 h 9 min of driving.
- 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 | 365 mi (588 km) |
|---|---|
| Time at the wheel, no stops | 9 h 9 min |
| Main roads, in order | BR-494 → BR-381 → BR-265 → BR-040 → BR-116 → BR-493 → BR-101 → RJ-124 |
| States on the route | Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro |
| Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg) | about 14.6 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic |
| Stops listed below | 8 |
How the Divinópolis to Araruama drive plays out
BR-040 (143 mi) and BR-494 (86 mi) carry about 63% of the 365 miles. It runs through 2 states: Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro. Of the 8 stops listed below, 1 are within a mile of the road.
Divinópolis to Araruama: the road sequence
| Road | Route miles (from–to) | Length, mi | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| local roads | 0–2 | 2 | Minas Gerais |
| BR-494 | 2–48 | 46 | Minas Gerais |
| BR-381 | 48–63 | 15 | Minas Gerais |
| BR-494 | 63–103 | 40 | Minas Gerais |
| connecting roads | 103–106 | 3 | Minas Gerais |
| BR-265 | 106–141 | 35 | Minas Gerais |
| BR-040 | 141–167 | 26 | Minas Gerais |
| local roads | 167–171 | 4 | Minas Gerais |
| BR-040 | 171–288 | 117 | Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro |
| connecting roads | 288–289 | 1 | Rio de Janeiro |
| BR-116 | 289–302 | 13 | Rio de Janeiro |
| BR-493 | 302–319 | 17 | Rio de Janeiro |
| BR-101 | 319–341 | 22 | Rio de Janeiro |
| RJ-124 | 341–360 | 19 | Rio de Janeiro |
| local roads | 360–365 | 5 | Rio de Janeiro |
- Mile 224 of this route: Minas Gerais → Rio de Janeiro (state line)
Stops between Divinópolis and Araruama
- Right off the route (under 1 mile): Museu da Loucura (mile 139)
- Nature and outdoors: Pedra do Elefante Natural Monument (mile 254), Serra dos Órgãos National Park (mile 258), Taquara Municipal Nature Park (mile 293), Serra do Barbosão Municipal Nature Park (mile 332)
- Museums and history: Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar, São João del Rei (mile 105), Museu da Loucura (mile 139), Pedra do Elefante Natural Monument (mile 254), Santos Dumont House Museum (mile 270), Casa Stefan Zweig (mile 272)
Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar, São João del Rei
Also called the São João del Rei Cathedral, this Catholic shrine is a protected heritage site known for colonial-era art, with gold decoration, paintings and statues inside.
Museu da Loucura
Housed in the restored 1922 Torreão of the former Hospital Colônia de Barbacena, the Museu da Loucura opened in 1996 and uses objects, equipment, photos and documents to tell the history of psychiatric care in Minas Gerais.
Pedra do Elefante Natural Monument
The Pedra do Elefante Natural Monument is a municipal natural monument, a protected area in the state of Rio de Janeiro.
Serra dos Órgãos National Park
Serra dos Órgãos National Park protects the Serra dos Órgãos range between Petrópolis and Teresópolis, where a roughly 28 km traverse climbs past the Castelos do Açu to Pedra do Sino at 2,263 meters.
Santos Dumont House Museum
Known as A Encantada, the Santos Dumont House Museum in Petrópolis is the house built in 1918 for aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont on a steep hillside near the city center.
Casa Stefan Zweig
Founded in 2006, Casa Stefan Zweig is a writer's house museum in Petrópolis, set in the home where Stefan Zweig lived with his wife.
Taquara Municipal Nature Park
Taquara Municipal Nature Park is a municipal nature park in Rio de Janeiro state that protects an area of Atlantic Forest.
Serra do Barbosão Municipal Nature Park
Serra do Barbosão Municipal Nature Park is a protected area in Rio de Janeiro state, set aside by the municipality to safeguard a stretch of Atlantic Forest.
When you get to Araruama
Coqueiral
Coqueiral is a beach in Araruama, Rio de Janeiro state, in a neighborhood of the same name along the Amaral Peixoto highway.
More drives to Araruama
- Barra Mansa to Araruama
- Angra dos Reis to Araruama
- Pindamonhangaba to Araruama
- Taubaté to Araruama
- São José dos Campos to Araruama
- Jacareí to Araruama
From Divinópolis to other places in Brazil
- Divinópolis to Conselheiro Lafaiete
- Divinópolis to Itabira
- Divinópolis to Barbacena
- Divinópolis to Ubá
- Divinópolis to Muriaé
- Divinópolis to Teresópolis
Frequently asked questions
How long is the drive from Divinópolis to Araruama?
About 9 h 9 min of driving without stops, over 365 miles.
How far is Araruama from Divinópolis by car?
About 365 miles (588 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.
Is it safe to drive from Divinópolis to Araruama?
The U.S. State Department rates Brazil Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution. Read the full advisory before you go.
Which highways go from Divinópolis to Araruama?
In order: BR-494, BR-381, BR-265, BR-040, BR-116, BR-493, BR-101 and RJ-124. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles for each one.
What are good stops between Divinópolis and Araruama?
Closest to the road: Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar, São João del Rei (cathedral, mile 105, 2 mi from the route); Museu da Loucura (museum, mile 139, 0.4 mi from the route); Serra do Barbosão Municipal Nature Park (protected area, mile 332, 1 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.