The Wayro route from Tubarão to Rivera, Uruguay is 501 miles (806 km), about 10 h 38 min of driving without stops. You cross from Brazil into Uruguay at about mile 499.
- 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: “Use caution when walking or driving at night.”
- Uruguay: “Illumination, pavement markings, and road surfaces for secondary roads can be poor.”
| Distance | 501 mi (806 km) |
|---|---|
| Time at the wheel, no stops | 10 h 38 min |
| Main roads, in order | BR-101 → BR-290 → BR-116 → BR-158 |
| Border crossing | about mile 499, Brazil → Uruguay |
| Regions on the route | Santa Catarina, Rio Grande do Sul, Rivera |
| Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg) | about 20.0 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic |
| Stops listed below | 8 |
The border on the way to Rivera
The route crosses at about mile 499, from Rio Grande do Sul into Rivera. 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.
How the Tubarão to Rivera drive plays out
BR-290 (289 mi) and BR-101 (133 mi) carry about 84% of the 501 miles. The first 499 miles are in Brazil; the last 2 are in Uruguay. It runs through 3 regions: Santa Catarina, Rio Grande do Sul, Rivera. Of the 8 stops listed below, 3 are within a mile of the road.
Tubarão to Rivera: the road sequence
| Road | Route miles (from–to) | Length, mi | Region |
|---|---|---|---|
| local roads | 0–1 | 1 | Santa Catarina |
| BR-101 | 1–134 | 133 | Santa Catarina, Rio Grande do Sul |
| connecting roads | 134–137 | 3 | Rio Grande do Sul |
| BR-290 | 137–195 | 58 | Rio Grande do Sul |
| BR-116 | 195–205 | 10 | Rio Grande do Sul |
| BR-290 | 205–436 | 231 | Rio Grande do Sul |
| BR-158 | 436–500 | 64 | Rio Grande do Sul, Rivera |
| local roads | 500–501 | 1 | Rivera |
- Mile 81 of this route: Santa Catarina → Rio Grande do Sul (region line)
- Mile 499 of this route: Rio Grande do Sul → Rivera (international border)
Breaking up the drive: stops between Tubarão and Rivera
- Right off the route (under 1 mile): Morro de Osório Protected Area (mile 138), Museu Municipal Agostinho Martha (mile 182), Museu do Carvão (mile 230)
- Nature and outdoors: Itapeva State Park (mile 85), Guarita State Park (mile 85), Jacuí Delta State Park (mile 203)
- Museums and history: Museu Municipal Agostinho Martha (mile 182), Museu de História da Medicina do Rio Grande do Sul (mile 197), Museu de Comunicação Social Hipólito José da Costa (mile 198), Museu do Carvão (mile 230)
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.
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.
Museu Municipal Agostinho Martha
At Rua Nossa Senhora dos Anjos 547 in central Gravataí, the Agostinho Martha Municipal Museum covers local history and art; it was created in 1974 and organized in 1981.
Museu de História da Medicina do Rio Grande do Sul
In Porto Alegre, the Museu de História da Medicina do Rio Grande do Sul preserves documents, medical instruments and other objects tracing the practice and evolution of medicine in the state.
Museu de Comunicação Social Hipólito José da Costa
Run by the Rio Grande do Sul state culture department, the Museu da Comunicação Hipólito José da Costa is a museum on Rua dos Andradas in Porto Alegre.
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.
Museu do Carvão
In the town of Arroio dos Ratos, Rio Grande do Sul, the Museu do Carvão is a history museum set on Rua Professora Silvana Narvaez.
More drives to Rivera
- Montevideo to Rivera
- Maldonado to Rivera
- Buenos Aires to Rivera, Uruguay
- Rosario, Argentina to Rivera, Uruguay
- Santa Fe to Rivera, Uruguay
- La Plata to Rivera, Uruguay
More drives from Tubarão
- Tubarão to Itanhaém
- Tubarão to Ourinhos
- Tubarão to Paranapiacaba
- Tubarão to Campo Mourão
- Tubarão to Santana do Livramento
- Tubarão to Jaguarão
Continue Your Adventure
Frequently asked questions
How long is the drive from Tubarão to Rivera, Uruguay?
About 10 h 38 min of driving without stops, over 501 miles.
How far is Rivera, Uruguay from Tubarão by car?
About 501 miles (806 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 Tubarão to Rivera drive cross the border?
At about mile 499, from Brazil into Uruguay.
What do U.S. citizens need to drive from Tubarão 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.)
What does the U.S. travel advisory say about the Tubarão to Rivera drive?
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.
What roads does the drive from Tubarão to Rivera use?
In order: BR-101, BR-290, BR-116 and BR-158. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles for each one.
Where can you stop on the way from Tubarão to Rivera?
Closest to the road: Morro de Osório Protected Area (environmental protection area, mile 138, 0.9 mi from the route); Museu Municipal Agostinho Martha (museum, mile 182, 0.6 mi from the route); Museu do Carvão (museum, mile 230, 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.