By road, Mossoró and Mandacaru are about 551 miles (886 km) apart, or roughly 14 h 14 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: “Flooding makes some roads through the Amazon impassable for much of the year.”
| Total distance | 551 mi (886 km) |
|---|---|
| Drive time without stops | 14 h 14 min |
| Main roads, in order | BR-304 → CE-040 → BR-020 → BR-222 → CE-187 → CE-232 → PI-213 → BR-343 → BR-402 → MA-346 → MA-345 → MA-034 → MA-315 |
| States on the route | Rio Grande do Norte, Ceará, Piauí, Maranhão |
| Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg) | about 22.0 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic |
| Stops listed below | 9 |
How the Mossoró to Mandacaru drive plays out
BR-222 (188 mi) and CE-040 (77 mi) carry about 48% of the 551 miles. It runs through 4 states: Rio Grande do Norte, Ceará, Piauí, Maranhão. Of the 9 stops listed below, 1 are within a mile of the road.
The route from Mossoró to Mandacaru, road by road
| Road | Route miles (from–to) | Length, mi | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| local roads | 0–2 | 2 | Rio Grande do Norte |
| BR-304 | 2–58 | 56 | Rio Grande do Norte, Ceará |
| CE-040 | 58–135 | 77 | Ceará |
| connecting roads | 135–136 | 1 | Ceará |
| BR-020 | 136–153 | 17 | Ceará |
| BR-222 | 153–341 | 188 | Ceará |
| CE-187 | 341–359 | 18 | Ceará |
| CE-232 | 359–381 | 22 | Ceará |
| PI-213 | 381–409 | 28 | Ceará, Piauí |
| BR-343 | 409–439 | 30 | Piauí |
| BR-402 | 439–447 | 8 | Piauí |
| connecting roads | 447–448 | 1 | Maranhão |
| MA-346 | 448–456 | 8 | Maranhão |
| connecting roads | 456–457 | 1 | Maranhão |
| BR-402 | 457–460 | 3 | Maranhão |
| MA-345 | 460–473 | 13 | Maranhão |
| MA-034 | 473–495 | 22 | Maranhão |
| local roads | 495–499 | 4 | Maranhão |
| MA-315 | 499–533 | 34 | Maranhão |
| local roads | 533–551 | 18 | Maranhão |
- Mile 23 of this route: Rio Grande do Norte → Ceará (state line)
- Mile 384 of this route: Ceará → Piauí (state line)
- Mile 447 of this route: Piauí → Maranhão (state line)
What to see on the way from Mossoró to Mandacaru
- Right off the route (under 1 mile): Museu Sacro São José de Ribamar (mile 129)
- Nature and outdoors: Furna Feia National Park (mile 16), Canoa Quebrada (mile 52), Praia das Fontes (mile 95), Prainha (mile 129), Parque Botânico de Caucaia (mile 153), Ubajara National Park (mile 322)
- Museums and history: Museu Sacro São José de Ribamar (mile 129), Museu Dom José (mile 285)
Furna Feia National Park
Furna Feia National Park in Rio Grande do Norte protects an extensive cave system.
Canoa Quebrada
About 164 km from Fortaleza in the municipality of Aracati, Canoa Quebrada is a fishing village and beach resort set among dunes and cliffs on Ceará's east coast.
Praia das Fontes
Praia das Fontes in Beberibe, Ceará, takes its name from the many freshwater springs that flow out of its cliffs.
Prainha
Prainha is a beach in the municipality of Aquiraz, Ceará, Brazil, located at the mouth of the Catu River.
Museu Sacro São José de Ribamar
Opened in 1967, the Museu Sacro São José de Ribamar in Aquiraz holds around 1,400 sacred objects, including images, silverwork, furniture and vestments, mostly from the 18th and 19th centuries.
Parque Botânico de Caucaia
Covering 190 hectares in Caucaia, 15 km from Fortaleza, the Ceará State Botanical Park sits along highway CE-090, the road to Icaraí, Cumbuco and other beaches.
Museu Dom José
Owned by the Diocese of Sobral in Ceará, the Museu Dom José is a sacred art museum with a collection of more than thirty thousand pieces.
Teatro São João (Sobral)
Teatro São João is a cultural venue in the city of Sobral, Ceará, a place to check for performances while passing through town.
Ubajara National Park
Ubajara National Park is a national park in the state of Ceará, best known for the Ubajara grotto, a cave that gives the park its reputation.
Once you reach Mandacaru
Preguiças Lighthouse
Also called Mandacaru Lighthouse, Preguiças Lighthouse in Maranhão is a white, tapered concrete tower marked by four black bands, with four ribs and a double gallery.
More drives to Mandacaru
From Mossoró to other places in Brazil
Frequently asked questions
How long is the drive from Mossoró to Mandacaru?
About 14 h 14 min of driving without stops, over 551 miles.
What is the driving distance from Mossoró to Mandacaru?
About 551 miles (886 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 Mossoró to Mandacaru drive?
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 Mossoró to Mandacaru use?
In order: BR-304, CE-040, BR-020, BR-222, CE-187, CE-232, PI-213, BR-343, BR-402, MA-346, MA-345, MA-034 and MA-315. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles for each one.
Where can you stop on the way from Mossoró to Mandacaru?
Closest to the road: Museu Sacro São José de Ribamar (museum, mile 129, 0.6 mi from the route); Teatro São João (Sobral) (theater, mile 285, 1 mi from the route); Museu Dom José (museum, mile 285, 2 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.