By road, Petrolina and Canoa Quebrada are about 467 miles (752 km) apart, or roughly 10 h 17 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: “Drivers must have their daytime running lights on during the day and headlights on at night on Federal Highways.”
| Total distance | 467 mi (752 km) |
|---|---|
| Driving time, no stops | 10 h 17 min |
| Main roads, in order | BR-428 → BR-122 → PE-555 → BR-232 → BR-116 → PB-420 → BR-230 → PB-393 → BR-405 → BR-304 |
| States on the route | Pernambuco, Ceará, Paraíba, Rio Grande do Norte |
| Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg) | about 18.7 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic |
| Stops listed below | 4 |
Driving Petrolina to Canoa Quebrada: the shape of the trip
BR-405 (140 mi) and BR-116 (92 mi) carry about 50% of the 467 miles. It runs through 4 states: Pernambuco, Ceará, Paraíba, Rio Grande do Norte. None of the 4 stops below is right on the road, so plan each as a short side trip.
Roads you'll take from Petrolina to Canoa Quebrada
| Road | Route miles (from–to) | Length, mi | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| local roads | 0–2 | 2 | Pernambuco |
| BR-428 | 2–33 | 31 | Pernambuco |
| BR-122 | 33–54 | 21 | Pernambuco |
| PE-555 | 54–112 | 58 | Pernambuco |
| BR-232 | 112–145 | 33 | Pernambuco |
| BR-116 | 145–237 | 92 | Pernambuco, Ceará, Paraíba |
| PB-420 | 237–245 | 8 | Paraíba |
| BR-230 | 245–250 | 5 | Paraíba |
| connecting roads | 250–252 | 2 | Paraíba |
| PB-393 | 252–266 | 14 | Paraíba |
| BR-405 | 266–406 | 140 | Paraíba, Rio Grande do Norte |
| BR-304 | 406–461 | 55 | Rio Grande do Norte, Ceará |
| local roads | 461–467 | 6 | Ceará |
- Mile 164 of this route: Pernambuco → Ceará (state line)
- Mile 234 of this route: Ceará → Paraíba (state line)
- Mile 287 of this route: Paraíba → Rio Grande do Norte (state line)
- Mile 431 of this route: Rio Grande do Norte → Ceará (state line)
Stops between Petrolina and Canoa Quebrada
- Nature and outdoors: Furna Feia National Park (mile 423)
- Museums and history: St. Anthony Cathedral, Salgueiro (mile 145), Memorial da Resistência Mossoroense (mile 408), Catedral de Santa Luzia de Mossoró (mile 408)
St. Anthony Cathedral, Salgueiro
Salgueiro Cathedral, dedicated to St. Anthony, is a Roman Catholic church in Salgueiro, Pernambuco, serving as the seat of the diocese since October 12, 2010.
Memorial da Resistência Mossoroense
Exhibits at this Mossoró memorial cover the cangaço and the town's 1927 resistance to Lampião's band, which tried to invade it, spread over three floors with four thematic modules.
Catedral de Santa Luzia de Mossoró
Facing Praça Vigário Antônio Joaquim in central Mossoró, the Catedral de Santa Luzia is the diocesan cathedral, dedicated to Saint Lucy, patron of the city.
Furna Feia National Park
Furna Feia National Park in Rio Grande do Norte protects an extensive cave system.
When you get to Canoa Quebrada
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 de Majorlândia
About 12 km from the center of Aracati and 6 km from neighboring Canoa Quebrada, Praia de Majorlândia is a beach on the Ceará coast, 170 km from Fortaleza.
More drives to Canoa Quebrada
- Parnamirim to Canoa Quebrada
- Campina Grande to Canoa Quebrada
- Olinda to Canoa Quebrada
- Recife to Canoa Quebrada
- Garanhuns to Canoa Quebrada
- Cabo de Santo Agostinho to Canoa Quebrada
From Petrolina to other places in Brazil
- Petrolina to Praia do Forte
- Petrolina to Morro de São Paulo
- Petrolina to Caxias
- Petrolina to Cabo de Santo Agostinho
- Petrolina to Ilhéus
- Petrolina to Codó
Frequently asked questions
How long is the drive from Petrolina to Canoa Quebrada?
About 10 h 17 min of driving without stops, over 467 miles.
What is the driving distance from Petrolina to Canoa Quebrada?
About 467 miles (752 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 Petrolina to Canoa Quebrada?
The U.S. State Department rates Brazil Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution. Read the full advisory before you go.
Which highways go from Petrolina to Canoa Quebrada?
In order: BR-428, BR-122, PE-555, BR-232, BR-116, PB-420, BR-230, PB-393, BR-405 and BR-304. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles for each one.
Where can you stop on the way from Petrolina to Canoa Quebrada?
Closest to the road: St. Anthony Cathedral, Salgueiro (cathedral, mile 145, 1 mi from the route); Memorial da Resistência Mossoroense (museum, mile 408, 1 mi from the route); Catedral de Santa Luzia de Mossoró (cathedral, mile 408, 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.