Lagoa Santa GO or Lagoa Santa MG? Do not mix them up
Same name, a thousand kilometers apart and completely different appeal: one is a hot-spring town in southern Goiás, the other is in Greater Belo Horizonte.
Updated on 2026-10-08
Anyone who types "Lagoa Santa" into a search engine or GPS almost always lands first on the town in Minas Gerais, which is larger and better known. But the Lagoa Santa of the thermal waters, the visible fish and the Aporé River is a different one: it is in the far south of Goiás, about 1,000 km away. This website is about the one in Goiás. The comparison below helps you work out in a few seconds which of the two you are looking for.
The two towns side by side
| Lagoa Santa (GO) | Lagoa Santa (MG) | |
|---|---|---|
| State | Goiás, far south, on the border with Mato Grosso do Sul | Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte metropolitan area |
| Population | 1,390 inhabitants (2022 Census) | About 70,000 inhabitants |
| Distance from the state capital | ~430 km from Goiânia | ~40 km from Belo Horizonte |
| Famous for | Thermal lagoon at 31 °C, Aporé River, fishing, peace and quiet | Confins Airport, Lapinha Cave, the "Luzia" fossil, central urban lake |
| Airport | None in town; the nearest is Goiânia (~430 km) | Tancredo Neves International Airport (Confins), in the municipality itself |
| Postal code (CEP) | 75819-000 (single code for the whole town) | Its own range of postal codes, from 33400-000 (check with the Correios) |
| Municipality since | 1997 (installed in 2001) | 19th century |
| Profile | Small, rural town, nature tourism | Medium-sized, urban town, part of Greater Belo Horizonte |
How to know which one you want
Answer three quick questions:
- Do you want to bathe in naturally warm water, see fish underwater and stay somewhere quiet? It is the one in Goiás. The thermal lagoon is inside Thermas Lagoa Santa, and the Aporé River is a few kilometers away.
- Are you catching a flight, visiting a cave with rock paintings or wanting to stay near Belo Horizonte? It is the one in Minas Gerais. That is where Confins airport and the Lapinha Cave are, where the skull of "Luzia" was found.
- Did someone say "Lagoa Santa, near Itajá, Paranaíba or Quirinópolis"? It is the one in Goiás. If they said "near Vespasiano, Pedro Leopoldo or Confins", it is the one in Minas.
Another clue is the phone number: numbers in Lagoa Santa, Goiás, start with area code 64 and the prefix 3640. Those in Minas have area code 31.
Why the confusion happens
The name is exactly the same, and search engines tend to prioritize the town with more pages, more inhabitants and more searches, which favors the one in Minas. On Google Maps, if you type only "Lagoa Santa", the first result is usually the one in Minas; the one in Goiás appears if you write "Lagoa Santa, GO" or "Lagoa Santa, Goiás". In lodging and ticket apps, the difference is even trickier: there have been cases of travelers who booked a guesthouse "in Lagoa Santa" and discovered it was in Greater Belo Horizonte.
The Goiás town has an added historical complication: until 1997 it was a district of Itajá called Termas de Itajá, and a lot of old material uses that name. So when searching, always combine "Lagoa Santa" with "Goiás", "GO", "Itajá" or "águas termais" (thermal waters).
Practical GPS tip: use the reference "Thermas Lagoa Santa, GO-302" or the coordinates −19.1819, −51.3836. That way there is no risk of the app plotting a route to Minas Gerais.
Where Lagoa Santa, Goiás is
The town is on the left bank of the Aporé River, which forms the border between Goiás and Mato Grosso do Sul, in the Quirinópolis micro-region. It borders only Itajá (GO), 20 km away, and Paranaíba (MS), about 75 km away. The map below is already pointed at the right town.
More location details on Map of Lagoa Santa and Geography. To get there from Goiânia, Brasília, São Paulo or Campo Grande, see Getting there.
Two towns, two good reasons to travel
It is not that one is better than the other. Lagoa Santa in Minas Gerais has archaeological heritage of world importance, good urban infrastructure and the convenience of being minutes from the airport. The one in Goiás offers something rare: a natural lagoon that is warm all year round, with aquarium-like visibility, in a town of 1,400 people where you can walk everywhere. If your plan is rest and nature, stay with us: start with the page Lagoa Santa, Goiás.
Is Lagoa Santa in Goiás or in Minas Gerais?
Both. They are different municipalities with the same name. The one in Goiás has 1,390 inhabitants and is known for its thermal lagoon; the one in Minas Gerais has about 70,000 inhabitants and is in Greater Belo Horizonte, where Confins airport is.
How far apart are the two Lagoa Santas?
Approximately 1,000 km by road. There is no way to mix up the trip: one is 40 km from Belo Horizonte, the other 430 km from Goiânia, on the border with Mato Grosso do Sul.
Is there an airport in Lagoa Santa, Goiás?
No. The nearest airports are Goiânia (~430 km), Campo Grande (~470 km) and Brasília (~640 km). Confins airport is in Lagoa Santa, Minas Gerais.
What should I type into the GPS to get to Lagoa Santa, Goiás?
Write "Lagoa Santa, GO" or "Thermas Lagoa Santa, GO-302". If you type only "Lagoa Santa", most apps choose the town in Minas Gerais.