Plan on about 8 h 45 min of driving for the 411-mile (662 km) trip from Macaé to Cubatão, before any stops.
- 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: “Road maintenance is inadequate in many areas.”
| Distance | 411 mi (662 km) |
|---|---|
| Drive time without stops | 8 h 45 min |
| Main roads, in order | RJ-168 → BR-101 → BR-040 → BR-116 → SPI 117/070 → SP-070 → SP-021 → SP-150 |
| States on the route | Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo |
| Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg) | about 16.5 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic |
| Stops listed below | 9 |
How the Macaé to Cubatão drive plays out
BR-116 (177 mi) and BR-101 (102 mi) carry about 68% of the 411 miles. It runs through 2 states: Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo. Of the 9 stops listed below, 3 are within a mile of the road.
Roads you'll take from Macaé to Cubatão
| Road | Route miles (from–to) | Length, mi | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| local roads | 0–2 | 2 | Rio de Janeiro |
| RJ-168 | 2–11 | 9 | Rio de Janeiro |
| connecting roads | 11–12 | 1 | Rio de Janeiro |
| BR-101 | 12–114 | 102 | Rio de Janeiro |
| BR-040 | 114–123 | 9 | Rio de Janeiro |
| connecting roads | 123–125 | 2 | Rio de Janeiro |
| BR-116 | 125–302 | 177 | Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo |
| SPI 117/070 | 302–345 | 43 | São Paulo |
| SP-070 | 345–360 | 15 | São Paulo |
| connecting roads | 360–362 | 2 | São Paulo |
| SP-021 | 362–391 | 29 | São Paulo |
| connecting roads | 391–393 | 2 | São Paulo |
| SP-150 | 393–411 | 18 | São Paulo |
- Mile 230 of this route: Rio de Janeiro → São Paulo (state line)
Places worth a stop between Macaé and Cubatão
- Right off the route (under 1 mile): Itatiaia National Park (mile 220), Museu Frei Galvão (mile 270), Parque Natural Estoril (mile 394)
- Nature and outdoors: Serra do Barbosão Municipal Nature Park (mile 78), Tijuca National Park (mile 115), Itatiaia National Park (mile 220), Parque Natural Estoril (mile 394)
- Museums and history: Centro Cultural do Movimento Escoteiro (mile 111), Museu Casa de Benjamin Constant (mile 114), Museu Frei Galvão (mile 270), Museu da Imigração Italiana de Quiririm "José Indiani" (mile 302), Anthropology Museum of the Paraíba Valley (mile 334)
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.
Centro Cultural do Movimento Escoteiro
Founded in 1985 in Rio de Janeiro, the Centro Cultural do Movimento Escoteiro (CCME) preserves and shares the memory and culture of scouting in Brazil and holds the country's largest scouting collection.
Museu Casa de Benjamin Constant
Run by the Brazilian Institute of Museums, the Museu Casa de Benjamin Constant opened in 1982 in the Santa Teresa house where the teacher, engineer and soldier lived.
Tijuca National Park
Covering mountains inside the city of Rio de Janeiro, Tijuca National Park is an urban national park within the Atlantic Forest Biosphere Reserve, managed by the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation.
Itatiaia National Park
Brazil's national park system started here: Itatiaia National Park (Parque Nacional do Itatiaia) was created in 1937 as the country's first. The protected area lies on the border between Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais states.
Museu Frei Galvão
The Museu Frei Galvão is a municipal cultural institution in Guaratinguetá, in São Paulo state, maintained jointly by the city government and a local association of the museum's friends.
Museu da Imigração Italiana de Quiririm "José Indiani"
Between 1897 and 1903, a family from Cremona built the brick Casa Indiani in Quiririm. Today the house in this Taubaté district holds the Italian Immigration Museum.
Anthropology Museum of the Paraíba Valley
Ceramic vessels and stone tools are among the archaeological finds at the Museu de Antropologia do Vale do Paraíba in Jacareí, which also displays sacred art, folk art and paintings.
Parque Natural Estoril
In São Bernardo do Campo, Parque Natural Estoril is a conservation area protecting Atlantic Forest, part of the Billings Reservoir and local wildlife across roughly 373,000 square meters.
Arriving in Cubatão
Santos Botanical Garden
Named for activist Chico Mendes, Santos Botanical Garden is an ecological park that preserves plant species and grows seedlings for the beachfront gardens and other public spaces of Santos.
Museum of Natural Sciences and Cultural Center Jewels of Nature
São Vicente's Museum of Natural Sciences and Cultural Center Jewels of Nature (Joias da Natureza) is a museum of mineralogy and natural sciences in São Paulo state.
Calçada do Lorena
Calçada do Lorena, in the Serra do Mar of São Paulo state, was the first paved road linking São Paulo to Santos, built on the orders of governor Bernardo José Maria de Lorena.
More drives to Cubatão
- São Paulo to Cubatão
- Jundiaí to Cubatão
- Bragança Paulista to Cubatão
- Itu to Cubatão
- Campinas to Cubatão
- Limeira to Cubatão
From Macaé to other places in Brazil
- Macaé to Araruama
- Macaé to Itaguaí
- Macaé to Barra Mansa
- Macaé to Angra dos Reis
- Macaé to Resende
- Macaé to Penedo
Frequently asked questions
How long is the drive from Macaé to Cubatão?
About 8 h 45 min of driving without stops, over 411 miles.
What is the driving distance from Macaé to Cubatão?
About 411 miles (662 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 Macaé to Cubatão?
The U.S. State Department rates Brazil Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution. Read the full advisory before you go.
What roads does the drive from Macaé to Cubatão use?
In order: RJ-168, BR-101, BR-040, BR-116, SPI 117/070, SP-070, SP-021 and SP-150. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles for each one.
Where can you stop on the way from Macaé to Cubatão?
Closest to the road: Itatiaia National Park (national park, mile 220, 0.4 mi from the route); Museu Frei Galvão (museum, mile 270, 0.4 mi from the route); Parque Natural Estoril (park, mile 394, 0.9 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.