By road, Rio das Ostras and Cubatão are about 398 miles (641 km) apart, or roughly 8 h 27 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.”
| Total distance | 398 mi (641 km) |
|---|---|
| Drive time without stops | 8 h 27 min |
| Main roads, in order | RJ-162 → 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 15.9 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic |
| Stops listed below | 9 |
Driving Rio das Ostras to Cubatão: the shape of the trip
BR-116 (176 mi) and BR-101 (90 mi) carry about 67% of the 398 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.
Which roads connect Rio das Ostras and Cubatão
| Road | Route miles (from–to) | Length, mi | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| local roads | 0–2 | 2 | |
| RJ-162 | 2–11 | 9 | Rio de Janeiro |
| BR-101 | 11–101 | 90 | Rio de Janeiro |
| BR-040 | 101–110 | 9 | Rio de Janeiro |
| connecting roads | 110–112 | 2 | Rio de Janeiro |
| BR-116 | 112–288 | 176 | Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo |
| connecting roads | 288–289 | 1 | São Paulo |
| SPI 117/070 | 289–331 | 42 | São Paulo |
| SP-070 | 331–347 | 16 | São Paulo |
| connecting roads | 347–349 | 2 | São Paulo |
| SP-021 | 349–378 | 29 | São Paulo |
| connecting roads | 378–379 | 1 | São Paulo |
| SP-150 | 379–397 | 18 | São Paulo |
| local roads | 397–398 | 1 | São Paulo |
- Mile 216 of this route: Rio de Janeiro → São Paulo (state line)
Breaking up the drive: stops between Rio das Ostras and Cubatão
- Right off the route (under 1 mile): Itatiaia National Park (mile 206), Basilica of Our Lady of Aparecida (mile 260), Parque Natural Estoril (mile 381)
- Nature and outdoors: Praia do Buraco (mile 87), Itatiaia National Park (mile 206), Parque Natural Estoril (mile 381)
- Museums and history: Palácio do Ingá (mile 93), Museu Judaico do Rio de Janeiro (mile 97), Basilica of Our Lady of Aparecida (mile 260), Museu da Imigração Italiana de Quiririm "José Indiani" (mile 288), Anthropology Museum of the Paraíba Valley (mile 321)
Praia do Buraco
About four kilometers from Praia Central in Balneário Camboriú, Praia do Buraco borders Praia do Canto; strong waves make it unsafe for swimming, so it draws mostly fishermen and photographers.
Palácio do Ingá
In Niterói's Ingá neighborhood, the Palácio do Ingá (Palácio Nilo Peçanha) houses the Museu de História e Arte do Rio de Janeiro.
Convent of Santo Antônio
Atop Morro de Santo Antônio and facing Largo da Carioca, this Franciscan convent in central Rio forms, with the neighboring Church of the Third Order of St. Francis of Penance, one of the city's surviving colonial ensembles.
Museu Judaico do Rio de Janeiro
Founded in 1977 with the donation of a menorah, the Museu Judaico do Rio de Janeiro keeps permanent exhibits on the city's Jewish community and on Jewish religious, cultural and historical traditions.
Itatiaia National Park
Straddling the line between Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais states, Itatiaia National Park dates to 1937, when it became the first national park Brazil ever created.
Basilica of Our Lady of Aparecida
Brazil's National Shrine in Aparecida houses the image of Our Lady Aparecida that fishermen pulled from the Paraíba do Sul River in 1717. Work on the current basilica began in 1955, and Pope John Paul II consecrated it in 1980.
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
Housed in an 1857 mansion in Jacareí, the Anthropology Museum of the Paraíba Valley (Museu de Antropologia do Vale do Paraíba) shows sacred and folk art, paintings, and archaeological finds such as ceramic vessels and stone tools.
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.
Once you reach 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.
Ecological Park of Perequê
Named for the Perequê River that runs through it, the Ecological Park of Perequê (Parque Ecológico do Perequê) is a natural area in the municipality of Cubatão.
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 Rio das Ostras to other places in Brazil
- Rio das Ostras to Itaguaí
- Rio das Ostras to Barra do Piraí
- Rio das Ostras to Resende
- Rio das Ostras to Penedo
- Rio das Ostras to Fumaça
- Rio das Ostras to Historic Village of Mambucaba
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to drive from Rio das Ostras to Cubatão?
About 8 h 27 min of driving without stops, over 398 miles.
How far is Cubatão from Rio das Ostras by car?
About 398 miles (641 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 Rio das Ostras to Cubatão drive?
The U.S. State Department rates Brazil Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution. Read the full advisory before you go.
Which highways go from Rio das Ostras to Cubatão?
In order: RJ-162, 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 Rio das Ostras to Cubatão?
Closest to the road: Itatiaia National Park (national park, mile 206, 0.2 mi from the route); Basilica of Our Lady of Aparecida (basilica, mile 260, 0.4 mi from the route); Parque Natural Estoril (park, mile 381, 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.