By road, Varginha and Santa Leopoldina are about 498 miles (802 km) apart, or roughly 13 h 4 min of driving.
- 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 | 498 mi (802 km) |
|---|---|
| Time at the wheel, no stops | 13 h 4 min |
| Main roads, in order | BR-381 → BR-040 → BR-262 → ES-484 → ES-165 → ES-264 |
| States on the route | Minas Gerais, Espírito Santo |
| Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg) | about 19.9 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic |
| Stops listed below | 9 |
Driving Varginha to Santa Leopoldina: the shape of the trip
BR-381 (219 mi) and BR-262 (169 mi) carry about 78% of the 498 miles. It runs through 2 states: Minas Gerais, Espírito Santo. Of the 9 stops listed below, 2 are within a mile of the road.
Roads you'll take from Varginha to Santa Leopoldina
| Road | Route miles (from–to) | Length, mi | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| local roads | 0–23 | 23 | Minas Gerais |
| BR-381 | 23–175 | 152 | Minas Gerais |
| connecting roads | 175–176 | 1 | Minas Gerais |
| BR-040 | 176–184 | 8 | Minas Gerais |
| connecting roads | 184–187 | 3 | Minas Gerais |
| BR-381 | 187–254 | 67 | Minas Gerais |
| BR-262 | 254–423 | 169 | Minas Gerais, Espírito Santo |
| ES-484 | 423–428 | 5 | Espírito Santo |
| local roads | 428–437 | 9 | Espírito Santo |
| ES-165 | 437–442 | 5 | Espírito Santo |
| ES-264 | 442–498 | 56 | Espírito Santo |
- Mile 377 of this route: Minas Gerais → Espírito Santo (state line)
Breaking up the drive: stops between Varginha and Santa Leopoldina
- Right off the route (under 1 mile): Museu do Tropeiro (mile 399), Museu da Imigração Pomerana (mile 477)
- Nature and outdoors: Serra do Rola-Moça State Park (mile 174), Museu de História Natural e Jardim Botânico da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (mile 185), Caparaó National Park (mile 382)
- Museums and history: Francisco Firmo de Mattos Filho Cultural Center (mile 170), Casa de Cacos (mile 171), Museu de História Natural e Jardim Botânico da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (mile 185), Museu do Tropeiro (mile 399), Museu da Imigração Pomerana (mile 477)
- With kids: Belo Horizonte Aquarium (mile 181), Guanabara Park (mile 182)
Francisco Firmo de Mattos Filho Cultural Center
The Centro Cultural Francisco Firmo de Mattos Filho is a public museum set in three historic buildings in Contagem, remnants of the town's original Portuguese Crown tax post.
Casa de Cacos
Casa de Cacos in Contagem is a museum and an example of fantastic architecture, built and decorated entirely by geologist Carlos Luís de Almeida and considered the only one of its kind in Brazil.
Serra do Rola-Moça State Park
On the edge of metropolitan Belo Horizonte, Serra do Rola-Moça State Park protects rugged ridges of the Espinhaço range where cerrado savanna meets Atlantic Forest.
Belo Horizonte Aquarium
Opened in 2010 in Belo Horizonte's Pampulha area, the Belo Horizonte Aquarium shows more than fifty species collected along the 2,800-km São Francisco River.
Guanabara Park
On the shore of Lagoa da Pampulha in Belo Horizonte, Parque Guanabara is an amusement park that began as a traveling fair in 1951 and settled at its current site in 1970.
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.
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.
Once you reach 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 Varginha to other places in Brazil
- Varginha to Ubá
- Varginha to Paranapiacaba
- Varginha to Cubatão
- Varginha to Trindade
- Varginha to Jaú
- Varginha to Itanhaém
Frequently asked questions
How long is the drive from Varginha to Santa Leopoldina?
About 13 h 4 min of driving without stops, over 498 miles.
What is the driving distance from Varginha to Santa Leopoldina?
About 498 miles (802 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 Varginha to Santa Leopoldina?
The U.S. State Department rates Brazil Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution. Read the full advisory before you go.
Which highways go from Varginha to Santa Leopoldina?
In order: BR-381, BR-040, 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 Varginha and Santa Leopoldina?
Closest to the road: Casa de Cacos (museum, mile 171, 2 mi from the route); Museu do Tropeiro (museum, mile 399, 0.2 mi from the route); Museu da Imigração Pomerana (museum, mile 477, 0.2 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.