By road, Pindamonhangaba and Santa Leopoldina are about 472 miles (760 km) apart, or roughly 12 h 11 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 | 472 mi (760 km) |
|---|---|
| Drive time without stops | 12 h 11 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 18.9 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic |
| Stops listed below | 9 |
How the Pindamonhangaba to Santa Leopoldina drive plays out
BR-101 (102 mi) and SP-060 (88 mi) carry about 40% of the 472 miles. It runs through 4 states: São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais, Espírito Santo. Of the 9 stops listed below, 4 are within a mile of the road.
Roads you'll take from Pindamonhangaba to Santa Leopoldina
| Road | Route miles (from–to) | Length, mi | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| local roads | 0–6 | 6 | São Paulo |
| SP-060 | 6–94 | 88 | São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro |
| BR-116 | 94–101 | 7 | Rio de Janeiro |
| local roads | 101–106 | 5 | Rio de Janeiro |
| BR-393 | 106–178 | 72 | Rio de Janeiro |
| local roads | 178–183 | 5 | Rio de Janeiro |
| connecting roads | 183–184 | 1 | Rio de Janeiro |
| BR-393 | 184–190 | 6 | Rio de Janeiro |
| local roads | 190–223 | 33 | Rio de Janeiro |
| connecting roads | 223–224 | 1 | Rio de Janeiro |
| CMG-393 | 224–252 | 28 | Minas Gerais |
| connecting roads | 252–253 | 1 | Minas Gerais |
| RJ-186 | 253–316 | 63 | Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro |
| connecting roads | 316–317 | 1 | Rio de Janeiro |
| ES-297 | 317–345 | 28 | Rio de Janeiro, Espírito Santo |
| BR-101 | 345–447 | 102 | Espírito Santo |
| connecting roads | 447–450 | 3 | Espírito Santo |
| ES-080 | 450–472 | 22 | Espírito Santo |
- Mile 63 of this route: São Paulo → Rio de Janeiro (state line)
- Mile 224 of this route: Rio de Janeiro → Minas Gerais (state line)
- Mile 258 of this route: Minas Gerais → Rio de Janeiro (state line)
- Mile 322 of this route: Rio de Janeiro → Espírito Santo (state line)
- Mile 326 of this route: Espírito Santo → Rio de Janeiro (state line)
- Mile 341 of this route: Rio de Janeiro → Espírito Santo (state line)
Stops between Pindamonhangaba and Santa Leopoldina
- Right off the route (under 1 mile): Our Lady of Aparecida Museum (mile 19), Itatiaia National Park (mile 72), Museu Casa da Hera (mile 142), Museu da Polícia Militar do Espírito Santo (mile 448)
- Nature and outdoors: Itatiaia National Park (mile 72), Serra das Torres Natural Monument (mile 358), Frade e a Freira Natural Monument (mile 380), Paulo César Vinha State Park (mile 428), Morro do Penedo Natural Monument (mile 447)
- Museums and history: Our Lady of Aparecida Museum (mile 19), Museu Casa da Hera (mile 142), Serra das Torres Natural Monument (mile 358), Museu da Polícia Militar do Espírito Santo (mile 448), Ruins of the Church of São José do Queimado (mile 457)
Our Lady of Aparecida Museum
Opened in 1956, the Museu Nossa Senhora Aparecida sits within the basilica complex in Aparecida. Its collection brings together regional objects, among them archaeological finds and religious items.
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 Casa da Hera
Also known as Chácara da Hera, this house museum in central Vassouras, Rio de Janeiro state, shows how a wealthy family lived at the height of the Paraíba Valley coffee boom.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 Pindamonhangaba to other places in Brazil
- Pindamonhangaba to Paranapiacaba
- Pindamonhangaba to Itanhaém
- Pindamonhangaba to Mogi Guaçu
- Pindamonhangaba to Botucatu
- Pindamonhangaba to Jaú
- Pindamonhangaba to Araxá
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to drive from Pindamonhangaba to Santa Leopoldina?
About 12 h 11 min of driving without stops, over 472 miles.
What is the driving distance from Pindamonhangaba to Santa Leopoldina?
About 472 miles (760 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 Pindamonhangaba to Santa Leopoldina drive?
The U.S. State Department rates Brazil Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution. Read the full advisory before you go.
Which highways go from Pindamonhangaba 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 Pindamonhangaba to Santa Leopoldina?
Closest to the road: Our Lady of Aparecida Museum (museum, mile 19, 0.4 mi from the route); Itatiaia National Park (national park, mile 72, 0.3 mi from the route); Museu da Polícia Militar do Espírito Santo (police museum, mile 448, 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.