The Wayro route from Fray Bentos to Cabo Polonio is 358 miles (576 km), about 8 h 23 min of driving without stops.
Full advisory: Uruguay. Advisory issued: Uruguay July 28, 2026; checked October 10, 2026.
On the roads, the State Department says:
- Uruguay: “Illumination, pavement markings, and road surfaces for secondary roads can be poor.”
| Distance | 358 mi (576 km) |
|---|---|
| Drive time without stops | 8 h 23 min |
| Main roads, in order | I-B |
| Departments on the route | Río Negro, Soriano, Colonia, San José, Canelones, Maldonado, Rocha |
| Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg) | about 14.3 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic |
| Stops listed below | 9 |
On the road from Fray Bentos to Cabo Polonio
I-B (6 mi) carries about 2% of the 358 miles. It runs through 7 departments: Río Negro, Soriano, Colonia, San José, Canelones, Maldonado, Rocha. Of the 9 stops listed below, 4 are within a mile of the road.
Fray Bentos to Cabo Polonio: the road sequence
| Road | Route miles (from–to) | Length, mi | Department |
|---|---|---|---|
| local roads | 0–100 | 100 | Río Negro, Soriano |
| connecting roads | 100–101 | 1 | Soriano |
| local roads | 101–137 | 36 | Colonia, San José |
| connecting roads | 137–140 | 3 | San José |
| local roads | 140–207 | 67 | San José, Canelones |
| connecting roads | 207–208 | 1 | Canelones |
| local roads | 208–236 | 28 | Canelones, Maldonado |
| I-B | 236–242 | 6 | Maldonado |
| local roads | 242–358 | 116 | Maldonado, Rocha |
- Mile 19 of this route: Río Negro → Soriano (department line)
- Mile 101 of this route: Soriano → Colonia (department line)
- Mile 118 of this route: Colonia → San José (department line)
- Mile 162 of this route: San José → Canelones (department line)
- Mile 231 of this route: Canelones → Maldonado (department line)
- Mile 288 of this route: Maldonado → Rocha (department line)
Where to stop on the way to Cabo Polonio
- Right off the route (under 1 mile): Cathedral of Mercedes (mile 21), Teatro Macció (mile 137), Museo Departamental de San José (mile 137), Observatorio Astronómico del CURE (mile 304)
- Nature and outdoors: Laguna del Cisne (mile 207), Cerro Pan de Azúcar Native Wildlife Breeding Station (mile 242), La Sirena Beach (mile 347)
- Museums and history: Cathedral of Mercedes (mile 21), Calera Real del Dacá (mile 21), Museo Departamental de San José (mile 137), Iglesia de Cristo Obrero y Nuestra Señora de Lourdes (mile 208)
Cathedral of Mercedes
Mercedes, Uruguay, centers its Catholic life on the Cathedral of Our Lady of Mercy, which became the seat of the local diocese in 1960.
Calera Real del Dacá
On the eastern edge of Mercedes beside the Dacá stream, the ruins of the Calera Real lime works date to 1722 and are considered the region's first industrial site; recent works added visitor circuits, lighting and interpretive signs.
Teatro Macció
San José de Mayo's Teatro Bartolomé Macció is a traditional theater, regarded as the city's most important building architecturally and declared a Historic Monument of Uruguay in 1984.
Museo Departamental de San José
Set in central San José de Mayo, the Museo Departamental de San José is a history and fine arts museum that also runs a library, archives and cultural programs.
Laguna del Cisne
Near Salinas in Canelones, Laguna del Cisne is a subtropical lagoon of about 1.8 km², fed by a watershed of some 50 km², that has supplied drinking water to the Costa de Oro area since 1970.
Iglesia de Cristo Obrero y Nuestra Señora de Lourdes
Since 2021, UNESCO has counted Eladio Dieste's Church of Christ the Worker among its World Heritage Sites. The engineer's brick church in Estación Atlántida was inaugurated in 1960 and is known for its undulating walls and roof.
Cerro Pan de Azúcar Native Wildlife Breeding Station
Near Piriápolis in Maldonado, this breeding station for native wildlife on Cerro Pan de Azúcar is surrounded by native vegetation and offers guided visits, including a native wildlife trail and a path up the hill.
Observatorio Astronómico del CURE
Run by the University of the Republic's eastern campus (CURE), this small observatory in Rocha opened in 2016 and uses a 30 cm reflector telescope under a motorized dome for teaching, research and public outreach.
La Sirena Beach
About 2.5 km north of Aguas Dulces, La Sirena is one of Uruguay's two official naturist beaches, backed by vegetated dunes, small marshes, lagoons and pine and acacia woods where coastal birds are common.
In Cabo Polonio itself
Parque nacional Cabo Polonio
Part of Uruguay's national protected areas system since 2009, Cabo Polonio National Park spans 25,820 hectares of coastline, ocean and offshore islands.
Cabo Polonio Lighthouse
Standing on the Cabo Polonio headland in Uruguay's Rocha department, this lighthouse looks out over the Atlantic Ocean and was built in 1881.
Dunes of Cabo Polonio
Inside Cabo Polonio National Park in Uruguay's Rocha department, a band of natural sand dunes runs along the Atlantic Ocean.
More drives to Cabo Polonio
- Mercedes, Uruguay to Cabo Polonio
- Rivera to Cabo Polonio
- Paysandú to Cabo Polonio
- Salto to Cabo Polonio
- Bella Unión to Cabo Polonio
- Durazno to Cabo Polonio
From Fray Bentos to other places in Uruguay
- Fray Bentos to Conchillas
- Fray Bentos to Veinticinco de Agosto
- Fray Bentos to Atlántida
- Fray Bentos to Fray Marcos
- Fray Bentos to Alejandro Gallinal
- Fray Bentos to Piriápolis
Frequently asked questions
How long is the drive from Fray Bentos to Cabo Polonio?
About 8 h 23 min of driving without stops, over 358 miles.
How far is Cabo Polonio from Fray Bentos by car?
About 358 miles (576 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 Fray Bentos to Cabo Polonio drive?
The U.S. State Department rates Uruguay Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution. Read the full advisory before you go.
Where can you stop on the way from Fray Bentos to Cabo Polonio?
Closest to the road: Cathedral of Mercedes (cathedral, mile 21, 0.7 mi from the route); Museo Departamental de San José (history museum, mile 137, 0.7 mi from the route); Observatorio Astronómico del CURE (astronomical observatory, mile 304, 0.4 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.