The Wayro route from Santa Cruz do Sul to Maldonado, Uruguay is 469 miles (755 km), about 10 h 50 min of driving without stops. You cross from Brazil into Uruguay at about mile 337.
- Level 4: Do Not Travel in Brazil: informal housing developments (favelas, vilas, comunidades or conglomerados).
Full advisory: Brazil, Uruguay. Advisory issued: Brazil August 31, 2026; Uruguay July 28, 2026; checked October 10, 2026.
On the roads, the State Department says:
- Brazil: “Drivers must have their daytime running lights on during the day and headlights on at night on Federal Highways.”
- Uruguay: “Several of the main highways are particularly accident-ridden.”
| Distance | 469 mi (755 km) |
|---|---|
| Driving time, no stops | 10 h 50 min |
| Main roads, in order | BR-471 → RSC-471 → BR-392 |
| Border crossing | about mile 337, Brazil → Uruguay |
| Regions on the route | Rio Grande do Sul, Rocha, Maldonado |
| Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg) | about 18.8 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic |
| Stops listed below | 9 |
Getting across the Brazil–Uruguay border
The route crosses at about mile 337, from Rio Grande do Sul into Rocha. Plan on two checks on each side: immigration for your passport and customs for the car.
| Entering Uruguay (U.S. citizens) | No visa needed for visits of 90 days or less. Passport: must be valid for 6 months beyond your arrival date. |
|---|---|
| Driving in Uruguay | You can drive on your U.S. license. |
| Entering Brazil (U.S. citizens) | Visa required: apply and get approved before you travel; travelers without visas can't enter. Passport: must be valid for one month at entry, with a blank page for each stamp. |
| Driving in Brazil | If you'll stay more than 180 days and drive, carry an Inter-American Driving Permit with your U.S. license. |
| Rental car | Cross only if the rental company authorizes it in writing and gives you the papers for the border; ask before you book. |
Sources: U.S. State Department, Uruguay (updated August 13, 2026); U.S. State Department, Brazil (updated August 06, 2026). Checked October 10, 2026; rules change, so confirm before you go.
Driving Santa Cruz do Sul to Maldonado: the shape of the trip
BR-471 (168 mi) and RSC-471 (88 mi) carry about 55% of the 469 miles. The first 337 miles are in Brazil; the last 132 are in Uruguay. It runs through 3 regions: Rio Grande do Sul, Rocha, Maldonado. Of the 9 stops listed below, 4 are within a mile of the road.
Road-by-road breakdown: Santa Cruz do Sul to Maldonado
| Road | Route miles (from–to) | Length, mi | Region |
|---|---|---|---|
| local roads | 0–4 | 4 | Rio Grande do Sul |
| BR-471 | 4–34 | 30 | Rio Grande do Sul |
| RSC-471 | 34–122 | 88 | Rio Grande do Sul |
| connecting roads | 122–123 | 1 | Rio Grande do Sul |
| BR-392 | 123–199 | 76 | Rio Grande do Sul |
| BR-471 | 199–337 | 138 | Rio Grande do Sul |
| local roads | 337–459 | 122 | Rocha, Maldonado |
| connecting roads | 459–462 | 3 | Maldonado |
| local roads | 462–469 | 7 | Maldonado |
- Mile 337 of this route: Rio Grande do Sul → Rocha (international border)
- Mile 436 of this route: Rocha → Maldonado (region line)
Where to stop on the way to Maldonado
- Right off the route (under 1 mile): Igreja Matriz Nossa Senhora do Rosário (mile 20), Santa Teresa National Park (mile 359), Teatro 25 de Mayo (mile 418), Observatorio Astronómico del CURE (mile 419)
- Nature and outdoors: Santa Teresa National Park (mile 359), La Sirena Beach (mile 378), Laguna José Ignacio (mile 447)
- Museums and history: Igreja Matriz Nossa Senhora do Rosário (mile 20), Museu de Arte Leopoldo Gotuzzo (mile 178), Museu da Baronesa (mile 178)
Igreja Matriz Nossa Senhora do Rosário
Rio Pardo's mother church, Igreja Matriz Nossa Senhora do Rosário, was begun in 1791 in late Baroque style to a design by Francisco João Roscio, on the site of an earlier chapel.
Museu de Arte Leopoldo Gotuzzo
Opened in 1986 on Praça 7 de Julho, across from the Mercado Central in downtown Pelotas, this art museum is part of the Federal University of Pelotas arts center.
Museu da Baronesa
Opened in 1982 and run by the Pelotas city culture department, Museu da Baronesa occupies a building listed as municipal heritage in 1985.
Parque Nacional Laguna Negra
In Rocha department, Laguna Negra National Park protects the waters of Laguna Negra, the Potrerillo de Santa Teresa biological station and part of Santa Teresa National Park north of Route 9.
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.
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.
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.
Observatorio Astronómico del CURE
Run by the University of the Republic's eastern campus (CURE), this small observatory in Rocha opened in 2016 and uses a 30 cm reflector telescope under a motorized dome for teaching, research and public outreach.
Laguna José Ignacio
In Uruguay's Maldonado Department, Laguna José Ignacio is a coastal lagoon kept apart from the Atlantic Ocean by a sandbank.
When you get to Maldonado
Cathedral of Maldonado
The Cathedral of Saint Ferdinand is Maldonado's main Roman Catholic church and has been a cathedral since 1966, when the Diocese of Maldonado-Punta del Este was founded.
Museum of the Sea
Opened in 1996 in La Barra, Maldonado, the Museum of the Sea is a natural history museum of about 2,300 square meters split into four large halls.
García Uriburu Collection Museum
García Uriburu Collection Museum (Museo Colección García Uriburu) is a museum collection in the city of Maldonado, Uruguay.
More drives to Maldonado
- Salto to Maldonado
- Buenos Aires to Maldonado, Uruguay
- Rosario, Argentina to Maldonado, Uruguay
- Santa Fe to Maldonado, Uruguay
- Paraná to Maldonado, Uruguay
- La Plata to Maldonado, Uruguay
More drives from Santa Cruz do Sul
- Santa Cruz do Sul to Guaíra
- Santa Cruz do Sul to Tubarão
- Santa Cruz do Sul to Santana do Livramento
- Santa Cruz do Sul to Chuí
- Santa Cruz do Sul to Salto, Uruguay
- Santa Cruz do Sul to Rivera, Uruguay
Frequently asked questions
How long is the drive from Santa Cruz do Sul to Maldonado, Uruguay?
About 10 h 50 min of driving without stops, over 469 miles.
What is the driving distance from Santa Cruz do Sul to Maldonado, Uruguay?
About 469 miles (755 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.
Where does the Santa Cruz do Sul to Maldonado drive cross the border?
At about mile 337, from Brazil into Uruguay.
What do U.S. citizens need to drive from Santa Cruz do Sul into Uruguay?
No visa needed for visits of 90 days or less. Passport: must be valid for 6 months beyond your arrival date. You can drive on your U.S. license. (U.S. State Department, updated August 13, 2026.)
Is it safe to drive from Santa Cruz do Sul to Maldonado, Uruguay?
The U.S. State Department rates Brazil Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; Uruguay Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution. Read the full advisory before you go.
Which highways go from Santa Cruz do Sul to Maldonado?
In order: BR-471, RSC-471 and BR-392. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles for each one.
Where can you stop on the way from Santa Cruz do Sul to Maldonado?
Closest to the road: Igreja Matriz Nossa Senhora do Rosário (church, mile 20, 0.7 mi from the route); Santa Teresa National Park (national park, mile 359, 0.1 mi from the route); Observatorio Astronómico del CURE (astronomical observatory, mile 419, 0.4 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.