The southernmost leg of the Brazilian journey runs the full length of the litoral gaúcho — the thin strip of land caught between the Lagoa dos Patos and the Atlantic — through flat, windswept country that gets lonelier and more elemental with every kilometre. A ferry crossing, a lunch stop in the oldest city in the state, a pause in the wetlands of the Taim, and then the final run to the end of Brazil.
The Crossing
The day begins at 8:00 am from Mostardas, heading south on the BR-101 through the coastal plain that first drew Azorean settlers in the 18th century. The BR-101 runs the full length of the Brazilian coast from Touros, in Rio Grande do Norte, to São José do Norte — on this trip we've largely stayed off it, catching only a few kilometres through Alagoas and then the Rio-Santos stretch down to Rio de Janeiro. This final leg brings it to a close at the ferry terminal. The road runs along the narrow isthmus between the Lagoa dos Patos and the ocean, the same corridor that connects the small towns that grew around Portuguese military outposts, fishing communities, and quilombos. The landscape is flat and expansive — rice fields, lagoons, and low restinga vegetation extending in every direction under a wide sky.
The first stop is the ferry terminal at São José do Norte, on the northern bank of the channel where the Lagoa dos Patos discharges into the Atlantic. Two companies operate the vehicle crossing — F. Andreis and Becker Transportes — running scheduled departures through the day. The thirty-minute crossing over the Canal do Rio Grande is one of the more unusual transit moments on the route: the ferry carries cars, trucks, and passengers across a channel that is technically part of the lagoon system, though the water here has taken on the character of the sea. On weekdays, departures run roughly on the hour from each side; the itinerary has the boarding at mid-morning. On the far bank, Rio Grande comes into view through the industrial haze of its port infrastructure.