The Wayro route from Sete Lagoas to Cabo Frio is 390 miles (628 km), about 9 h 36 min of driving without 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: “Drivers must have their daytime running lights on during the day and headlights on at night on Federal Highways.”
| Total distance | 390 mi (628 km) |
|---|---|
| Drive time without stops | 9 h 36 min |
| Main roads, in order | BR-040 → BR-116 → BR-493 → BR-101 → RJ-124 → RJ-140 |
| States on the route | Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro |
| Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg) | about 15.6 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic |
| Stops listed below | 9 |
What the drive from Sete Lagoas to Cabo Frio is like
BR-040 (282 mi) and RJ-124 (35 mi) carry about 81% of the 390 miles. It runs through 2 states: Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro. None of the 9 stops below is right on the road, so plan each as a short side trip.
Sete Lagoas to Cabo Frio: the road sequence
| Road | Route miles (from–to) | Length, mi | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| local roads | 0–4 | 4 | Minas Gerais |
| BR-040 | 4–169 | 165 | Minas Gerais |
| local roads | 169–173 | 4 | Minas Gerais |
| BR-040 | 173–290 | 117 | Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro |
| connecting roads | 290–291 | 1 | Rio de Janeiro |
| BR-116 | 291–304 | 13 | Rio de Janeiro |
| BR-493 | 304–321 | 17 | Rio de Janeiro |
| BR-101 | 321–343 | 22 | Rio de Janeiro |
| RJ-124 | 343–378 | 35 | Rio de Janeiro |
| connecting roads | 378–381 | 3 | Rio de Janeiro |
| RJ-140 | 381–388 | 7 | Rio de Janeiro |
| local roads | 388–390 | 2 | Rio de Janeiro |
- Mile 222 of this route: Minas Gerais → Rio de Janeiro (state line)
What to see on the way from Sete Lagoas to Cabo Frio
- Nature and outdoors: Pedra do Elefante Natural Monument (mile 257), Serra dos Órgãos National Park (mile 263), Serra do Barbosão Municipal Nature Park (mile 334), Araruama Lagoon (mile 372)
- Museums and history: Museu da Loucura (mile 144), Pedra do Elefante Natural Monument (mile 257)
- With kids: Zoological Garden of Belo Horizonte (mile 35)
Pampulha Modern Ensemble
Laid out around the artificial Lake Pampulha in Belo Horizonte, the Pampulha Modern Ensemble is an urban project that includes a casino, a ballroom, the Golf Yacht Club and the Church of Saint Francis of Assisi.
Zoological Garden of Belo Horizonte
Opened in January 1959 in the Pampulha area, the Zoological Garden of Belo Horizonte is one of the city's main visitor attractions.
Piemonte Tower
Rising 101 meters on a mountain ridge between the Serra do Curral and Serra do Rola-Moça, Piemonte Tower (Torre Piemonte) is a tourist structure at the Alta Vila shopping center on the Nova Lima–Belo Horizonte line.
Sanctuary of Bom Jesus de Matosinhos
A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1985, this hilltop sanctuary in Congonhas is famous for Aleijadinho's 12 soapstone prophets on the front terraces and six chapels holding 64 life-size cedar figures of the Passion.
Museu da Loucura
Housed in the restored 1922 Torreão of the former Hospital Colônia de Barbacena, the Museu da Loucura opened in 1996 and uses objects, equipment, photos and documents to tell the history of psychiatric care in Minas Gerais.
Pedra do Elefante Natural Monument
The Pedra do Elefante Natural Monument is a municipal natural monument, a protected area in the state of Rio de Janeiro.
Serra dos Órgãos National Park
Serra dos Órgãos National Park protects the Serra dos Órgãos range between Petrópolis and Teresópolis, where a roughly 28 km traverse climbs past the Castelos do Açu to Pedra do Sino at 2,263 meters.
Serra do Barbosão Municipal Nature Park
Serra do Barbosão Municipal Nature Park is a protected area in Rio de Janeiro state, set aside by the municipality to safeguard a stretch of Atlantic Forest.
Araruama Lagoon
In Rio de Janeiro state's Região dos Lagos, Araruama Lagoon is a permanent hypersaline lagoon covering 220 km², about 40 km long and 13 km wide.
Arriving in Cabo Frio
Praia Brava (Cabo Frio)
Praia Brava in Cabo Frio is a nudist beach about 400 meters long, framed by cliffs some 20 meters high and facing the wild Ilha dos Papagaios.
Convento de Nossa Senhora dos Anjos
Cabo Frio's former Franciscan convent dates from the late 17th century and now houses the city's Museum of Religious and Traditional Art.
Praia das Palmeiras
Praia das Palmeiras sits in the Cabo Frio neighborhood of the same name, about 3 km from the center, between Araruama Lagoon and the Itajuru Canal, a spot known for catching shrimp and crab.
More drives to Cabo Frio
- Niterói to Cabo Frio
- Petrópolis to Cabo Frio
- Taubaté to Cabo Frio
- São José dos Campos to Cabo Frio
- Jacareí to Cabo Frio
- Mogi das Cruzes to Cabo Frio
From Sete Lagoas to other places in Brazil
- Sete Lagoas to Conselheiro Lafaiete
- Sete Lagoas to Barbacena
- Sete Lagoas to Muriaé
- Sete Lagoas to Itaperuna
- Sete Lagoas to Pouso Alegre
- Sete Lagoas to Teresópolis
Frequently asked questions
How long is the drive from Sete Lagoas to Cabo Frio?
About 9 h 36 min of driving without stops, over 390 miles.
What is the driving distance from Sete Lagoas to Cabo Frio?
About 390 miles (628 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 Sete Lagoas to Cabo Frio?
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 Sete Lagoas to Cabo Frio use?
In order: BR-040, BR-116, BR-493, BR-101, RJ-124 and RJ-140. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles for each one.
Where can you stop on the way from Sete Lagoas to Cabo Frio?
Closest to the road: Piemonte Tower (observation tower, mile 47, 1 mi from the route); Sanctuary of Bom Jesus de Matosinhos (calvary, mile 89, 1 mi from the route); Serra do Barbosão Municipal Nature Park (protected area, mile 334, 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.