Itaperuna to Itaúnas Road Trip: Where to Stop on the Way

By admin, 13 October, 2026

By road, Itaperuna and Itaúnas are about 314 miles (506 km) apart, or roughly 8 h 27 min of driving.

U.S. State Department travel advisory: Brazil — Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution
  • 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: “Flooding makes some roads through the Amazon impassable for much of the year.”
Frade e a Freira Natural MonumentPaulo César Vinha State ParkMorro do Penedo Natural MonumentFonte Grande State ParkRuins of the Church of São José do QueimadoCasa da Cultura de FundãoBuddha of IbiraçuSt. Matthew Cathedral, São MateusItaperunaItaúnas
Route from Itaperuna to Itaúnas with the 8 stops listed below (blue dots).
Distance314 mi (506 km)
Driving time, no stops8 h 27 min
Main roads, in orderBR-356 → RJ-186 → ES-297 → BR-101 → ES-422 → ES-010
States on the routeRio de Janeiro, Espírito Santo
Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg)about 12.6 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic
Stops listed below8

Driving Itaperuna to Itaúnas: the shape of the trip

BR-101 (234 mi) and ES-297 (29 mi) carry about 84% of the 314 miles. It runs through 2 states: Rio de Janeiro, Espírito Santo. Of the 8 stops listed below, 2 are within a mile of the road.

Which roads connect Itaperuna and Itaúnas

RoadRoute miles (from–to)Length, miState
BR-3560–1111Rio de Janeiro
RJ-18611–2211Rio de Janeiro
ES-29722–5129Rio de Janeiro, Espírito Santo
BR-10151–285234Espírito Santo
connecting roads285–2905Espírito Santo
ES-422290–30111Espírito Santo
ES-010301–31413Espírito Santo
  • Mile 47 of this route: Rio de Janeiro → Espírito Santo (state line)

Where to stop on the way to Itaúnas

  • Right off the route (under 1 mile): Casa da Cultura de Fundão (mile 185), St. Matthew Cathedral, São Mateus (mile 286)
  • Nature and outdoors: Frade e a Freira Natural Monument (mile 86), Paulo César Vinha State Park (mile 133), Morro do Penedo Natural Monument (mile 153), Fonte Grande State Park (mile 156)
  • Museums and history: Ruins of the Church of São José do Queimado (mile 166), Casa da Cultura de Fundão (mile 185), St. Matthew Cathedral, São Mateus (mile 286)

Frade e a Freira Natural Monument

Mile 86 · Protected area · 1 mi from the route

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

Mile 133 · State park · 5 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

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

Mile 153 · Protected area · 5 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

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.

Fonte Grande State Park

Mile 156 · State park · 4 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Fonte Grande State Park is a state-protected park in the Brazilian state of Espírito Santo.

Ruins of the Church of São José do Queimado

Mile 166 · Church · 2 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

In the Queimado district of Serra, Espírito Santo, these church ruins stand as a historic reminder of the Queimado Insurrection, an 1849 slave uprising.

Casa da Cultura de Fundão

Mile 185 · Museum · 0.1 mi from the route

Once the Agostini family residence, this two-story house in Fundão is protected as cultural heritage by Espírito Santo state and now works as a museum.

Buddha of Ibiraçu

Mile 191 · Statue · 2 mi from the route

Beside the BR-101 highway in Ibiraçu, a 35-meter Buddha statue rises at the Morro da Vargem Zen monastery. The giant figure, part of the monastery grounds, was officially inaugurated in August 2021.

St. Matthew Cathedral, São Mateus

Mile 286 · Cathedral · 0.5 mi from the route

St. Matthew Cathedral in the municipality of São Mateus is a Catholic church regarded as a reference for modern religious art in Brazil.

Arriving in Itaúnas

Itaúnas State Park

State park · in Itaúnas

In northern Espírito Santo, Itaúnas State Park protects the lower Itaúnas River along with a strip of marshes, dunes and Atlantic beaches.

More drives to Itaúnas

From Itaperuna to other places in Brazil

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to drive from Itaperuna to Itaúnas?

About 8 h 27 min of driving without stops, over 314 miles.

What is the driving distance from Itaperuna to Itaúnas?

About 314 miles (506 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 Itaperuna to Itaúnas?

The U.S. State Department rates Brazil Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution. Read the full advisory before you go.

Which highways go from Itaperuna to Itaúnas?

In order: BR-356, RJ-186, ES-297, BR-101, ES-422 and ES-010. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles for each one.

What are good stops between Itaperuna and Itaúnas?

Closest to the road: Frade e a Freira Natural Monument (protected area, mile 86, 1 mi from the route); Casa da Cultura de Fundão (museum, mile 185, 0.1 mi from the route); St. Matthew Cathedral, São Mateus (cathedral, mile 286, 0.5 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.