Santa Maria, Brazil to Tubarão is about 372 road miles (598 km): roughly 8 h 0 min at the wheel if you don't stop.
- 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: “Use caution when walking or driving at night.”
| Distance | 372 mi (598 km) |
|---|---|
| Time at the wheel, no stops | 8 h 0 min |
| Main roads, in order | RSC-287 → BR-386 → BR-448 → BR-116 → BR-101 |
| States on the route | Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina |
| Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg) | about 14.9 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic |
| Stops listed below | 9 |
What the drive from Santa Maria to Tubarão is like
BR-101 (136 mi) and RSC-287 (127 mi) carry about 71% of the 372 miles. It runs through 2 states: Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina. Of the 9 stops listed below, 1 are within a mile of the road.
Santa Maria to Tubarão: the road sequence
| Road | Route miles (from–to) | Length, mi | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| local roads | 0–7 | 7 | Rio Grande do Sul |
| RSC-287 | 7–134 | 127 | Rio Grande do Sul |
| BR-386 | 134–168 | 34 | Rio Grande do Sul |
| BR-448 | 168–175 | 7 | Rio Grande do Sul |
| connecting roads | 175–176 | 1 | Rio Grande do Sul |
| BR-116 | 176–234 | 58 | Rio Grande do Sul |
| BR-101 | 234–370 | 136 | Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina |
| local roads | 370–372 | 2 | Santa Catarina |
- Mile 290 of this route: Rio Grande do Sul → Santa Catarina (state line)
Places worth a stop between Santa Maria and Tubarão
- Right off the route (under 1 mile): Morro de Osório Protected Area (mile 232)
- Nature and outdoors: Jacuí Delta State Park (mile 170), Itapeva State Park (mile 285), Guarita State Park (mile 285)
- Museums and history: Aristides Carlos Rodrigues Museum (mile 65), St. John the Baptist Cathedral, Santa Cruz do Sul (mile 88), Arquivo Histórico e Museu de Canoas (mile 172)
Planetário Professor José Mariano da Rocha Filho
Founded in 1971 at the Federal University of Santa Maria, this planetarium seats 120 people and has used a Digistar 4 digital projector since 2011.
Aqueduto de Candelária
In Candelária, Rio Grande do Sul, the Aqueduto de Candelária stands in the Linha Curitiba area. It was commissioned by João Kochenborger, one of the first German immigrants to reach the municipality, in 1862.
Aristides Carlos Rodrigues Museum
In the town of Candelária, Rio Grande do Sul, the Aristides Carlos Rodrigues Museum is part of the Paleorrota Geopark and offers information about the region.
St. John the Baptist Cathedral, Santa Cruz do Sul
Facing Getúlio Vargas Square in central Santa Cruz do Sul, St. John the Baptist Cathedral is the city's Roman Catholic cathedral.
Jacuí Delta State Park
Created in 1976, Jacuí Delta State Park (Parque Estadual Delta do Jacuí) protects the delta between Porto Alegre, Canoas, Eldorado do Sul and nearby towns, where fishers from Ilha da Pintada still practice traditional fishing.
Arquivo Histórico e Museu de Canoas
Canoas's history museum and archive keeps photos, newspapers, maps, documents, audiovisual material and objects that tell the story of the city in Rio Grande do Sul.
Morro de Osório Protected Area
Created in 1994, the Morro de Osório Environmental Protection Area is a municipal conservation unit of Osório, Rio Grande do Sul, originally covering about 6,896 acres.
Itapeva State Park
Itapeva State Park is a protected area managed at the state level in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, one of the parks in the state system.
Guarita State Park
Officially Parque Estadual José Lutzenberger, Guarita State Park in Rio Grande do Sul protects a promontory on the South Atlantic Ocean.
Once you reach Tubarão
Museu Willy Zumblick
In downtown Tubarão, Santa Catarina, the Museu Willy Zumblick keeps a permanent exhibition of part of the collection of local-born artist Willy Zumblick.
More drives to Tubarão
- Palhoça to Tubarão
- Camboriú to Tubarão
- Itajaí to Tubarão
- Blumenau to Tubarão
- Jaraguá do Sul to Tubarão
- Porto Alegre to Tubarão
From Santa Maria to other places in Brazil
- Santa Maria, Brazil to Santa Cruz do Sul
- Santa Maria, Brazil to Bento Gonçalves
- Santa Maria, Brazil to Erechim
- Santa Maria, Brazil to Guaíra
- Santa Maria, Brazil to Umuarama
- Santa Maria, Brazil to Jaraguá do Sul
Continue Your Adventure
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to drive from Santa Maria, Brazil to Tubarão?
About 8 h 0 min of driving without stops, over 372 miles.
How far is Tubarão from Santa Maria, Brazil by car?
About 372 miles (598 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 Santa Maria to Tubarão drive?
The U.S. State Department rates Brazil Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution. Read the full advisory before you go.
What roads does the drive from Santa Maria to Tubarão use?
In order: RSC-287, BR-386, BR-448, BR-116 and BR-101. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles for each one.
What are good stops between Santa Maria and Tubarão?
Closest to the road: Aqueduto de Candelária (aqueduct, mile 63, 1 mi from the route); Aristides Carlos Rodrigues Museum (museum, mile 65, 1 mi from the route); Morro de Osório Protected Area (environmental protection area, mile 232, 0.8 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.