By road, Guaratinguetá and Santa Leopoldina are about 450 miles (724 km) apart, or roughly 11 h 39 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 | 450 mi (724 km) |
|---|---|
| Drive time without stops | 11 h 39 min |
| Main roads, in order | SP-060 → BR-116 → BR-393 → CMG-393 → RJ-186 → ES-297 → BR-101 → ES-080 |
| States on the route | São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais, Espírito Santo |
| Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg) | about 18.0 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic |
| Stops listed below | 9 |
On the road from Guaratinguetá to Santa Leopoldina
BR-101 (102 mi) and BR-393 (77 mi) carry about 40% of the 450 miles. It runs through 4 states: São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais, Espírito Santo. Of the 9 stops listed below, 3 are within a mile of the road.
The route from Guaratinguetá to Santa Leopoldina, road by road
| Road | Route miles (from–to) | Length, mi | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| local roads | 0–2 | 2 | São Paulo |
| SP-060 | 2–71 | 69 | São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro |
| BR-116 | 71–78 | 7 | Rio de Janeiro |
| connecting roads | 78–80 | 2 | Rio de Janeiro |
| local roads | 80–84 | 4 | Rio de Janeiro |
| BR-393 | 84–155 | 71 | Rio de Janeiro |
| local roads | 155–160 | 5 | Rio de Janeiro |
| connecting roads | 160–162 | 2 | Rio de Janeiro |
| BR-393 | 162–168 | 6 | Rio de Janeiro |
| local roads | 168–201 | 33 | Rio de Janeiro |
| connecting roads | 201–202 | 1 | Minas Gerais |
| CMG-393 | 202–230 | 28 | Minas Gerais |
| connecting roads | 230–231 | 1 | Minas Gerais |
| RJ-186 | 231–294 | 63 | Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro |
| connecting roads | 294–295 | 1 | Rio de Janeiro |
| ES-297 | 295–322 | 27 | Rio de Janeiro, Espírito Santo |
| BR-101 | 322–424 | 102 | Espírito Santo |
| connecting roads | 424–428 | 4 | Espírito Santo |
| ES-080 | 428–449 | 21 | Espírito Santo |
| local roads | 449–450 | 1 | Espírito Santo |
- Mile 41 of this route: São Paulo → Rio de Janeiro (state line)
- Mile 201 of this route: Rio de Janeiro → Minas Gerais (state line)
- Mile 236 of this route: Minas Gerais → Rio de Janeiro (state line)
- Mile 304 of this route: Rio de Janeiro → Espírito Santo (state line)
- Mile 307 of this route: Espírito Santo → Rio de Janeiro (state line)
- Mile 319 of this route: Rio de Janeiro → Espírito Santo (state line)
Breaking up the drive: stops between Guaratinguetá and Santa Leopoldina
- Right off the route (under 1 mile): Itatiaia National Park (mile 50), Santana Cathedral (mile 106), Museu da Polícia Militar do Espírito Santo (mile 426)
- Nature and outdoors: Itatiaia National Park (mile 50), Serra das Torres Natural Monument (mile 336), Itabira Natural Monument (mile 354), Frade e a Freira Natural Monument (mile 358), Paulo César Vinha State Park (mile 405), Morro do Penedo Natural Monument (mile 426)
- Museums and history: Santana Cathedral (mile 106), Serra das Torres Natural Monument (mile 336), Itabira Natural Monument (mile 354), Museu da Polícia Militar do Espírito Santo (mile 426), Ruins of the Church of São José do Queimado (mile 435)
Itatiaia National Park
Created in 1937, Parque Nacional do Itatiaia holds the distinction of being Brazil's first national park. It sits on the border of two states, Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais.
Santana Cathedral
Dedicated to St. Anne, this cathedral in Barra do Piraí is the seat of the Diocese of Barra do Piraí–Volta Redonda; Emperor Pedro II attended the laying of its cornerstone during a visit to the parish.
Serra das Torres Natural Monument
Covering about 10,459 hectares of Atlantic Forest in Atílio Vivácqua, Mimoso do Sul and Muqui, the Serra das Torres Natural Monument was created in 2010 to protect the peaks of a mountain range in southern Espírito Santo.
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.
When you get to 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 Guaratinguetá to other places in Brazil
- Guaratinguetá to Araxá
- Guaratinguetá to Araguari
- Guaratinguetá to Ituiutaba
- Guaratinguetá to Catalão
- Guaratinguetá to Itumbiara
- Guaratinguetá to Historic Village of Mambucaba
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to drive from Guaratinguetá to Santa Leopoldina?
About 11 h 39 min of driving without stops, over 450 miles.
How far is Santa Leopoldina from Guaratinguetá by car?
About 450 miles (724 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 Guaratinguetá 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 Guaratinguetá to Santa Leopoldina?
In order: SP-060, BR-116, 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.
Where can you stop on the way from Guaratinguetá to Santa Leopoldina?
Closest to the road: Itatiaia National Park (national park, mile 50, 0.4 mi from the route); Santana Cathedral (cathedral, mile 106, 0.8 mi from the route); Museu da Polícia Militar do Espírito Santo (police museum, mile 426, 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.