Plan on about 6 h 38 min of driving for the 251-mile (404 km) trip from Rio das Ostras to Santa Leopoldina, 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: “Driving on Brazil’s roads poses significant risks.”
| Distance | 251 mi (404 km) |
|---|---|
| Drive time without stops | 6 h 38 min |
| Main roads, in order | RJ-106 → BR-101 → RJ-228 → ES-080 |
| States on the route | Rio de Janeiro, Espírito Santo |
| Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg) | about 10.1 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic |
| Stops listed below | 9 |
Driving Rio das Ostras to Santa Leopoldina: the shape of the trip
BR-101 (151 mi) and RJ-228 (43 mi) carry about 77% of the 251 miles. It runs through 2 states: Rio de Janeiro, Espírito Santo. Of the 9 stops listed below, 1 are within a mile of the road.
Rio das Ostras to Santa Leopoldina: the road sequence
| Road | Route miles (from–to) | Length, mi | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| local roads | 0–4 | 4 | Rio de Janeiro |
| RJ-106 | 4–12 | 8 | Rio de Janeiro |
| local roads | 12–25 | 13 | Rio de Janeiro |
| RJ-106 | 25–32 | 7 | Rio de Janeiro |
| BR-101 | 32–108 | 76 | Rio de Janeiro |
| RJ-228 | 108–151 | 43 | Rio de Janeiro, Espírito Santo |
| BR-101 | 151–226 | 75 | Espírito Santo |
| connecting roads | 226–229 | 3 | Espírito Santo |
| ES-080 | 229–250 | 21 | Espírito Santo |
| local roads | 250–251 | 1 | Espírito Santo |
- Mile 123 of this route: Rio de Janeiro → Espírito Santo (state line)
Where to stop on the way to Santa Leopoldina
- Right off the route (under 1 mile): Museu da Polícia Militar do Espírito Santo (mile 227)
- Nature and outdoors: Serra das Torres Natural Monument (mile 137), Itabira Natural Monument (mile 155), Frade e a Freira Natural Monument (mile 160), Paulo César Vinha State Park (mile 206), Morro do Penedo Natural Monument (mile 226)
- Museums and history: Forte Marechal Hermes (mile 16), Palácio dos Urubus (mile 17), Serra das Torres Natural Monument (mile 137), Itabira Natural Monument (mile 155), Museu da Polícia Militar do Espírito Santo (mile 227), Ruins of the Church of São José do Queimado (mile 236)
Forte Marechal Hermes
Forte Marechal Hermes stands just south of the Macaé River mouth in Macaé, on the point of land between Imbetiba and Conchas beaches, facing the Sant'Anna archipelago.
Palácio dos Urubus
Palácio dos Urubus is a historic building on Rua Doutor Télio Barreto in the center of Macaé, in Rio de Janeiro state.
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.
Itabira Natural Monument
Itabira Natural Monument is a protected area in the state of Espírito Santo, Brazil, listed in the natural monument category.
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.
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.
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.
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 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 is the drive from Rio das Ostras to Santa Leopoldina?
About 6 h 38 min of driving without stops, over 251 miles.
What is the driving distance from Rio das Ostras to Santa Leopoldina?
About 251 miles (404 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 Rio das Ostras to Santa Leopoldina?
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 Santa Leopoldina?
In order: RJ-106, BR-101, RJ-228 and ES-080. 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 Santa Leopoldina?
Closest to the road: Palácio dos Urubus (historic palace, mile 17, 1 mi from the route); Frade e a Freira Natural Monument (protected area, mile 160, 1 mi from the route); Museu da Polícia Militar do Espírito Santo (police museum, mile 227, 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.