Plan on about 10 h 1 min of driving for the 469-mile (754 km) trip from Salto to Punta del Diablo, 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.”
| Total distance | 469 mi (754 km) |
|---|---|
| Drive time without stops | 10 h 1 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 18.7 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic |
| Stops listed below | 8 |
How the Salto to Punta del Diablo drive plays out
I-B (6 mi) carries about 1% of the 469 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.
Road-by-road breakdown: Salto to Punta del Diablo
| 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 | 345–469 | 124 | 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 Punta del Diablo
- Right off the route (under 1 mile): Termas del Guaviyú (mile 35), Reserva de Flora y fauna Dr. Rodolfo Tálice (mile 183), Teatro 25 de Mayo (mile 409)
- Nature and outdoors: Termas del Guaviyú (mile 35), Reserva de Flora y fauna Dr. Rodolfo Tálice (mile 183), Cerro Pan de Azúcar Native Wildlife Breeding Station (mile 345), La Sirena Beach (mile 449)
- Museums and history: Nuestra Señora del Rosario y San Benito de Palermo, Paysandú (mile 73), 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.
Teatro Macció
San José de Mayo's Teatro Bartolomé Macció is a traditional theater, regarded as the city's most important building architecturally and declared a Historic Monument of Uruguay in 1984.
Iglesia de Cristo Obrero y Nuestra Señora de Lourdes
Engineer Eladio Dieste's Church of Christ the Worker in Estación Atlántida, inaugurated in 1960, joined UNESCO's World Heritage List in 2021. Look for its wavy brick walls and roof, an openwork brick bell tower and an underground baptistery.
Cerro Pan de Azúcar Native Wildlife Breeding Station
Near Piriápolis in Maldonado, this breeding station for native wildlife on Cerro Pan de Azúcar is surrounded by native vegetation and offers guided visits, including a native wildlife trail and a path up the hill.
Teatro 25 de Mayo
Rocha's Teatro 25 de Mayo opened in 1910 as an Italian-style theater in the eclectic style, with room for about 400 people. Now a cultural complex, it is a stop on the city's self-guided heritage walk.
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 Punta del Diablo
Santa Teresa National Park
Santa Teresa National Park on Rocha's coast was created to frame the colonial Santa Teresa Fortress; its grounds hold more than two million planted trees from five continents, a greenhouse and native wetland and woodland wildlife.
More drives to Punta del Diablo
- La Paloma to Punta del Diablo
- Nueva Helvecia to Punta del Diablo
- Colonia del Sacramento to Punta del Diablo
- Tacuarembó to Punta del Diablo
- Rivera to Punta del Diablo
- Fray Bentos to Punta del Diablo
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 is the drive from Salto to Punta del Diablo?
About 10 h 1 min of driving without stops, over 469 miles.
What is the driving distance from Salto to Punta del Diablo?
About 469 miles (754 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 Salto to Punta del Diablo?
The U.S. State Department rates Uruguay Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution. Read the full advisory before you go.
What are good stops between Salto and Punta del Diablo?
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); Teatro 25 de Mayo (theater, mile 409, 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.