Plan on about 10 h 16 min of driving for the 461-mile (742 km) trip from Salto to Cabo Polonio, before any stops.
Full advisory: Uruguay. Advisory issued: Uruguay July 28, 2026; checked October 10, 2026.
On the roads, the State Department says:
- Uruguay: “Illumination, pavement markings, and road surfaces for secondary roads can be poor.”
| Distance by road | 461 mi (742 km) |
|---|---|
| Driving time, no stops | 10 h 16 min |
| Main roads, in order | I-B |
| Departments on the route | Salto, Paysandú, Río Negro, Flores, San José, Canelones, Maldonado, Rocha |
| Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg) | about 18.4 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic |
| Stops listed below | 8 |
The Salto–Cabo Polonio drive in a few lines
I-B (6 mi) carries about 1% of the 461 miles. It runs through 8 departments: Salto, Paysandú, Río Negro, Flores, San José, Canelones, Maldonado, Rocha. Of the 8 stops listed below, 3 are within a mile of the road.
Roads you'll take from Salto to Cabo Polonio
| Road | Route miles (from–to) | Length, mi | Department |
|---|---|---|---|
| local roads | 0–339 | 339 | Salto, Paysandú, Río Negro, Flores, San José, Canelones, Maldonado |
| I-B | 339–345 | 6 | Maldonado |
| local roads | 345–461 | 116 | Maldonado, Rocha |
- Mile 8 of this route: Salto → Paysandú (department line)
- Mile 99 of this route: Paysandú → Río Negro (department line)
- Mile 154 of this route: Río Negro → Flores (department line)
- Mile 215 of this route: Flores → San José (department line)
- Mile 265 of this route: San José → Canelones (department line)
- Mile 334 of this route: Canelones → Maldonado (department line)
- Mile 391 of this route: Maldonado → Rocha (department line)
Stops between Salto and Cabo Polonio
- Right off the route (under 1 mile): Termas del Guaviyú (mile 35), Reserva de Flora y fauna Dr. Rodolfo Tálice (mile 183), Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe (mile 275)
- Nature and outdoors: Termas del Guaviyú (mile 35), Reserva de Flora y fauna Dr. Rodolfo Tálice (mile 183), Laguna José Ignacio (mile 380), La Sirena Beach (mile 450)
- Museums and history: Nuestra Señora del Rosario y San Benito de Palermo, Paysandú (mile 73), Cathedral of San José de Mayo (mile 245), Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe (mile 275), Iglesia de Cristo Obrero y Nuestra Señora de Lourdes (mile 311)
Termas del Guaviyú
Next to Guaviyú Creek at kilometer 432 of Route 3 in Paysandú department, Termas del Guaviyú is a hot spring complex in northwestern Uruguay.
Nuestra Señora del Rosario y San Benito de Palermo, Paysandú
Paysandú's Catholic parish church of Our Lady of the Rosary and St. Benedict of Palermo was named a minor basilica in 1949 and remains an active parish of the city.
Reserva de Flora y fauna Dr. Rodolfo Tálice
Off Route 3 near Trinidad, the Dr. Rodolfo Tálice Ecopark (Reserva de Flora y Fauna Dr. Rodolfo Talice) is a fenced wildlife reserve where axis deer, greater rheas and pampas deer roam free alongside other species.
Cathedral of San José de Mayo
The main Catholic church of San José de Mayo, the Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph has been the diocesan seat since 1955, a minor basilica since 1957 and Uruguay's national shrine of Saint Joseph.
Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Construction of Canelones' Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe began in 1816; the church became a cathedral in 1961 and Uruguay's national shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in 2020.
Iglesia de Cristo Obrero y Nuestra Señora de Lourdes
Since 2021, UNESCO has counted Eladio Dieste's Church of Christ the Worker among its World Heritage Sites. The engineer's brick church in Estación Atlántida was inaugurated in 1960 and is known for its undulating walls and roof.
Laguna José Ignacio
In Uruguay's Maldonado Department, Laguna José Ignacio is a coastal lagoon kept apart from the Atlantic Ocean by a sandbank.
La Sirena Beach
About 2.5 km north of Aguas Dulces, La Sirena is one of Uruguay's two official naturist beaches, backed by vegetated dunes, small marshes, lagoons and pine and acacia woods where coastal birds are common.
Arriving in Cabo Polonio
Parque nacional Cabo Polonio
Part of Uruguay's national protected areas system since 2009, Cabo Polonio National Park spans 25,820 hectares of coastline, ocean and offshore islands.
Cabo Polonio Lighthouse
Standing on the Cabo Polonio headland in Uruguay's Rocha department, this lighthouse looks out over the Atlantic Ocean and was built in 1881.
Dunes of Cabo Polonio
Inside Cabo Polonio National Park in Uruguay's Rocha department, a band of natural sand dunes runs along the Atlantic Ocean.
More drives to Cabo Polonio
- Mercedes, Uruguay to Cabo Polonio
- Rivera to Cabo Polonio
- Paysandú to Cabo Polonio
- Bella Unión to Cabo Polonio
- Durazno to Cabo Polonio
- Fray Bentos to Cabo Polonio
From Salto to other places in Uruguay
- Salto to Mercedes, Uruguay
- Salto to Carmelo
- Salto to Colonia del Sacramento
- Salto to Nueva Helvecia
- Salto to Veinticinco de Agosto
- Salto to Fray Marcos
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to drive from Salto to Cabo Polonio?
About 10 h 16 min of driving without stops, over 461 miles.
What is the driving distance from Salto to Cabo Polonio?
About 461 miles (742 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 Salto to Cabo Polonio drive?
The U.S. State Department rates Uruguay Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution. Read the full advisory before you go.
Where can you stop on the way from Salto to Cabo Polonio?
Closest to the road: Termas del Guaviyú (hot spring, mile 35, 0.6 mi from the route); Reserva de Flora y fauna Dr. Rodolfo Tálice (botanical garden, mile 183, 0.3 mi from the route); Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe (cathedral, mile 275, 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.