Divinópolis to Santa Leopoldina is about 390 road miles (627 km): roughly 10 h 29 min at the wheel if you don't stop.
- 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: “Drivers must have their daytime running lights on during the day and headlights on at night on Federal Highways.”
| Distance | 390 mi (627 km) |
|---|---|
| Driving time, no stops | 10 h 29 min |
| Main roads, in order | MG-050 → BR-262 → BR-381 → BR-040 → ES-484 → ES-165 → ES-264 |
| States on the route | Minas Gerais, Espírito Santo |
| Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg) | about 15.6 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic |
| Stops listed below | 9 |
How the Divinópolis to Santa Leopoldina drive plays out
BR-262 (183 mi) and BR-381 (75 mi) carry about 66% of the 390 miles. It runs through 2 states: Minas Gerais, Espírito Santo. Of the 9 stops listed below, 4 are within a mile of the road.
Divinópolis to Santa Leopoldina: the road sequence
| Road | Route miles (from–to) | Length, mi | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| local roads | 0–2 | 2 | Minas Gerais |
| MG-050 | 2–42 | 40 | Minas Gerais |
| connecting roads | 42–43 | 1 | Minas Gerais |
| BR-262 | 43–57 | 14 | Minas Gerais |
| BR-381 | 57–65 | 8 | Minas Gerais |
| connecting roads | 65–68 | 3 | Minas Gerais |
| BR-040 | 68–75 | 7 | Minas Gerais |
| connecting roads | 75–78 | 3 | Minas Gerais |
| BR-381 | 78–145 | 67 | Minas Gerais |
| BR-262 | 145–314 | 169 | Minas Gerais, Espírito Santo |
| ES-484 | 314–319 | 5 | Espírito Santo |
| local roads | 319–328 | 9 | Espírito Santo |
| ES-165 | 328–333 | 5 | Espírito Santo |
| ES-264 | 333–389 | 56 | Espírito Santo |
| local roads | 389–390 | 1 | Espírito Santo |
- Mile 268 of this route: Minas Gerais → Espírito Santo (state line)
Places worth a stop between Divinópolis and Santa Leopoldina
- Right off the route (under 1 mile): Museu Municipal Francisco Manoel Franco (mile 25), Natural Sciences Museum of the Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais (mile 70), Museu do Tropeiro (mile 291), Museu da Imigração Pomerana (mile 368)
- Nature and outdoors: Natural Sciences Museum of the Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais (mile 70), Caparaó National Park (mile 272)
- Museums and history: Museu Municipal Francisco Manoel Franco (mile 25), Nair Mendes Moreira House of Culture (mile 61), Natural Sciences Museum of the Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais (mile 70), Museu do Tropeiro (mile 291), Museu da Imigração Pomerana (mile 368)
- With kids: Natural Sciences Museum of the Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais (mile 70), Guanabara Park (mile 73)
Museu Municipal Francisco Manoel Franco
In Itaúna, Minas Gerais, this municipal museum occupies the old railway station, which served trains from its opening in 1917 until passenger service through the town ended in 1986.
Vale Verde
Vale Verde Parque Ecológico sits in the municipality of Betim, Minas Gerais, on a farm with a still where Cachaça Vale Verde is produced.
Nair Mendes Moreira House of Culture
Known locally as Casa do Registro, the Casa da Cultura Nair Mendes Moreira is an 18th-century house in Contagem. Local tradition links it to a Portuguese Crown post that counted goods and checked tax payments.
Natural Sciences Museum of the Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais
On the PUC Minas campus in Belo Horizonte, this natural sciences museum shows Brazilian fauna, largely from the cerrado, alongside fossil South American mammals and an 'Age of Reptiles' hall with dinosaurs, pterosaurs and a large crocodile.
Guanabara Park
On the shore of Lagoa da Pampulha in Belo Horizonte, Parque Guanabara is an amusement park that began as a traveling fair in 1951 and settled at its current site in 1970.
Cine Theatro Brasil
Built in 1932 on Praça Sete de Setembro in Belo Horizonte as a cinema and theater, Cine Theatro Brasil is an 11-story building whose curved facade marks the corner of Avenida Amazonas and Rua Carijós.
Caparaó National Park
Created in 1961, Caparaó National Park protects the Caparaó Mountains on the Minas Gerais–Espírito Santo border, including Pico da Bandeira, one of Brazil's highest peaks.
Museu do Tropeiro
Opened in 2011 in Ibatiba, in the Caparaó region of Espírito Santo, the Museu do Tropeiro displays items tied to the muleteers who opened roads and trade in the area.
Museu da Imigração Pomerana
Museu da Imigração Pomerana in Santa Maria de Jetibá holds a collection on German immigration to Brazil, especially the Pomeranian settlers of Espírito Santo.
Arriving in Santa Leopoldina
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 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 Santa Leopoldina?
About 10 h 29 min of driving without stops, over 390 miles.
How far is Santa Leopoldina from Divinópolis by car?
About 390 miles (627 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 Santa Leopoldina?
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 Santa Leopoldina?
In order: MG-050, BR-262, BR-381, BR-040, ES-484, ES-165 and ES-264. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles for each one.
What are good stops between Divinópolis and Santa Leopoldina?
Closest to the road: Museu Municipal Francisco Manoel Franco (museum, mile 25, 0.4 mi from the route); Museu do Tropeiro (museum, mile 291, 0.2 mi from the route); Museu da Imigração Pomerana (museum, mile 368, 0.1 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.