Towns near Lagoa Santa, Goiás
Five towns in two Brazilian states that serve as supply base, route and side trip for visitors to the thermal springs of southern Goiás.
Updated on 2026-10-08
Lagoa Santa is a town of 1,390 inhabitants at the far southern tip of the state of Goiás, Brazil, right on the border with Mato Grosso do Sul. That means the larger services, such as a referral hospital, extensive shopping, bank branches and a bus station with lines to the state capitals, are in the neighboring towns. Knowing those towns helps you plan the trip: where to fill up, where to buy what you forgot, which way to come in and what to visit along the way. This page introduces the five that matter most.
The region: southern Goiás, eastern Mato Grosso do Sul
The map around Lagoa Santa is dominated by the Rio Aporé, which separates Goiás from Mato Grosso do Sul, and by the Rio Paranaíba, a little farther east. On the Goiás side, the town belongs to the Quirinópolis microregion, an area of agribusiness, sugarcane mills and soybean farms. On the Mato Grosso do Sul side, Paranaíba and Cassilândia are towns of the so-called Bolsão, the eastern portion of that state, linked to Goiás, Minas Gerais and São Paulo by the BR-158 highway.
In practice, visitors move in two directions: to the north, Itajá and, much farther, Quirinópolis and Goiânia; to the south, Paranaíba and the road to São Paulo and Campo Grande. Aporé and Cassilândia lie to the west, in the waterfall country of the upper Aporé.
The five towns
Itajá (GO), 20 km
Lagoa Santa's parent town: the nearest bus station, gas stations and shops.
Paranaíba (MS), ~75 km
The nearest large city: hospital, banks, shopping and the BR-158 highway.
Aporé (GO), ~110 km
The municipality that gives the river its name, in the headwaters and waterfall country.
Cassilândia (MS), ~130 km
Salto do Aporé, Cachoeira do Socorro waterfalls and the soybean fields of the Bolsão.
Quirinópolis (GO), ~150 km
Regional hub, sugar mills, agribusiness and Chica Doida, a dish listed as Goiás heritage.
Table of approximate distances
The figures below are approximate and depend on the route chosen; check your GPS before setting out.
| Town | State | Distance from Lagoa Santa | Population (2022 census or est.) | What it offers visitors |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Itajá | GO | 20 km | 4,380 | Fuel, bus station, basic shopping |
| Paranaíba | MS | ~75 km (approx.) | ~40,000 | Hospital, banks, extensive shopping, route to São Paulo and Campo Grande |
| Aporé | GO | ~110 km (approx.) | ~4,100 (2016 est.) | Side trip, the Aporé headwaters area |
| Cassilândia | MS | ~130 km (approx.) | 20,988 | Waterfalls (Salto do Aporé), shopping |
| Quirinópolis | GO | ~150 km (approx.) | 48,447 | Regional hub, hospital, shopping, route to Goiânia |
| Goiânia | GO | ~430 km | state capital | Airport, main route |
| Campo Grande | MS | ~470 km | state capital | Airport, route via BR-262/BR-158 |
The full table, with other capitals and cities, is under Distances.
How to use the neighboring towns on your trip
- Fuel: fill the tank in Rio Verde, Caçu, Itajá or Paranaíba, depending on the direction you are coming from. Lagoa Santa is small, and stretches of the route have neither gas stations nor mobile signal.
- Health care: Lagoa Santa has the HPS emergency hospital, (64) 3640-1267 (from abroad: +55 64 3640-1267), for minor emergencies. For more serious cases, the referral hospitals are in Paranaíba and Quirinópolis. See Useful phone numbers.
- Shopping: fishing gear, a better-stocked pharmacy, a large supermarket: Paranaíba and Quirinópolis.
- Buses: the lines from Goiânia and Rio Verde reach Itajá; from there, a taxi or local transport takes you to Lagoa Santa. See How to get there.
- Extra outing: with a spare day, the Salto do Aporé waterfall in Cassilândia is the natural complement to the thermal springs.
What is the closest town to Lagoa Santa?
Itajá (GO), 20 km away on the GO-302 highway. Lagoa Santa split off from Itajá in 1997, and that is where the nearest bus station with lines to Goiânia and Rio Verde is located.
Where is the nearest better-equipped hospital?
Lagoa Santa has an HPS emergency unit. For more complex cases, the regional referral hospitals are in Paranaíba (MS), about 75 km away, and Quirinópolis (GO), about 150 km away.
Are the neighboring towns worth visiting?
If your trip lasts more than two days, yes. Cassilândia has the Salto do Aporé waterfall, Paranaíba has the Porto Alencastro bridge and the Parque Espelho d'Água, and Quirinópolis has Chica Doida, a traditional dish recognized as Goiás cultural heritage.