The Wayro route from Sete Lagoas to Santa Leopoldina is 355 miles (571 km), about 9 h 21 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: “Use caution when walking or driving at night.”
| Total distance | 355 mi (571 km) |
|---|---|
| Drive time without stops | 9 h 21 min |
| Main roads, in order | MG-424 → MG-010 → BR-381 → BR-262 → ES-484 → ES-165 → ES-264 |
| States on the route | Minas Gerais, Espírito Santo |
| Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg) | about 14.2 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic |
| Stops listed below | 9 |
What the drive from Sete Lagoas to Santa Leopoldina is like
BR-262 (169 mi) and BR-381 (68 mi) carry about 67% of the 355 miles. It runs through 2 states: Minas Gerais, Espírito Santo. Of the 9 stops listed below, 4 are within a mile of the road.
Road-by-road breakdown: Sete Lagoas to Santa Leopoldina
| Road | Route miles (from–to) | Length, mi | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| local roads | 0–2 | 2 | Minas Gerais |
| MG-424 | 2–16 | 14 | Minas Gerais |
| local roads | 16–19 | 3 | Minas Gerais |
| MG-424 | 19–34 | 15 | Minas Gerais |
| MG-010 | 34–37 | 3 | Minas Gerais |
| local roads | 37–42 | 5 | Minas Gerais |
| connecting roads | 42–43 | 1 | Minas Gerais |
| BR-381 | 43–111 | 68 | Minas Gerais |
| BR-262 | 111–280 | 169 | Minas Gerais, Espírito Santo |
| ES-484 | 280–285 | 5 | Espírito Santo |
| local roads | 285–294 | 9 | Espírito Santo |
| ES-165 | 294–299 | 5 | Espírito Santo |
| ES-264 | 299–355 | 56 | Espírito Santo |
- Mile 234 of this route: Minas Gerais → Espírito Santo (state line)
Stops between Sete Lagoas and Santa Leopoldina
- Right off the route (under 1 mile): Belo Horizonte Botanical Garden (mile 37), Museu do Telefone (mile 42), Museu do Tropeiro (mile 256), Museu da Imigração Pomerana (mile 334)
- Nature and outdoors: Sumidouro State Park (mile 22), Belo Horizonte Botanical Garden (mile 37), Museu de História Natural e Jardim Botânico da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (mile 42), Caparaó National Park (mile 238)
- Museums and history: Museu Histórico de Capim Branco (mile 11), Lapa Vermelha (mile 22), Museu de História Natural e Jardim Botânico da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (mile 42), Museu do Telefone (mile 42), Museu do Tropeiro (mile 256), Museu da Imigração Pomerana (mile 334)
Museu Histórico de Capim Branco
Founded in 2013, the Museu Histórico de Capim Branco preserves the history of this Minas Gerais town and is housed in its oldest house, the Casarão Inhô Cachimbo.
Sumidouro State Park
In Minas Gerais, Sumidouro State Park is where remains of some of Brazil's earliest human inhabitants were found in the early 19th century, along with bones of extinct megafauna.
Lapa Vermelha
Lapa Vermelha is an archaeological site in the Lagoa Santa Karst Environmental Protection Area in Minas Gerais, a limestone massif on the shore of a small lake.
Belo Horizonte Botanical Garden
Belo Horizonte Botanical Garden opened to the public in 2001 to conserve and display plant collections, and it is part of the city's Fundação Zoo-Botânica.
Museu de História Natural e Jardim Botânico da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais
The Federal University of Minas Gerais runs this natural history museum and botanical garden in Belo Horizonte, with an auditorium, a plant nursery, a lagoon, an ecological amphitheater and a sensory garden.
Museu do Telefone
The Museu do Telefone is a museum in the Mangabeiras neighborhood of Belo Horizonte.
Caparaó National Park
Created in 1961, Caparaó National Park protects the Caparaó Mountains on the Minas Gerais–Espírito Santo border, including Pico da Bandeira, one of Brazil's highest peaks.
Museu do Tropeiro
Opened in 2011 in Ibatiba, in the Caparaó region of Espírito Santo, the Museu do Tropeiro displays items tied to the muleteers who opened roads and trade in the area.
Museu da Imigração Pomerana
Museu da Imigração Pomerana in Santa Maria de Jetibá holds a collection on German immigration to Brazil, especially the Pomeranian settlers of Espírito Santo.
When you get to Santa Leopoldina
Museu do Colono
Opened in April 1969, the Museu do Colono is a museum in Santa Leopoldina, Espírito Santo, and is run today by the state's Department of Culture.
Historic Center of Santa Leopoldina
Squeezed between hills and the Santa Maria River, the Historic Center of Santa Leopoldina (Núcleo Histórico de Santa Leopoldina) keeps buildings from the late 1800s and early 1900s. Espírito Santo listed it as a State Historic Site in 1983.
Igreja Sagrada Família
Igreja Sagrada Família, the mother church of Santa Leopoldina, Espírito Santo, was built in 1911 on top of a hill above the Santa Maria River valley.
More drives to Santa Leopoldina
- Guarapari to Santa Leopoldina
- Cachoeiro de Itapemirim to Santa Leopoldina
- Campos dos Goytacazes to Santa Leopoldina
- Itaperuna to Santa Leopoldina
- Muriaé to Santa Leopoldina
- Ipatinga to Santa Leopoldina
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 does it take to drive from Sete Lagoas to Santa Leopoldina?
About 9 h 21 min of driving without stops, over 355 miles.
How far is Santa Leopoldina from Sete Lagoas by car?
About 355 miles (571 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 Santa Leopoldina?
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 Santa Leopoldina use?
In order: MG-424, MG-010, BR-381, BR-262, ES-484, ES-165 and ES-264. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles for each one.
What are good stops between Sete Lagoas and Santa Leopoldina?
Closest to the road: Belo Horizonte Botanical Garden (botanical garden, mile 37, 0.6 mi from the route); Museu do Tropeiro (museum, mile 256, 0.2 mi from the route); Museu da Imigração Pomerana (museum, mile 334, 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.