Sao Jose do Rio Preto, a hillside city in the northwest of Sao Paulo state known locally as the Colinas or hills region, is a practical base for exploring Brazil's interior agribusiness country, and a rental car picked up at its regional airport is the straightforward way to get around. The airport serves as a gateway for a swath of northwest Sao Paulo state built on sugarcane, citrus groves, and cattle ranching, and business and leisure visitors alike generally find a car the most flexible option for reaching surrounding towns and rural properties.
Brazil drives on the right, and the main highway connection toward the state capital is the Washington Luis highway (SP-310), a well-maintained multi-lane route that links Rio Preto to the city of Sao Paulo in a drive of roughly five to six hours, depending on traffic and stops along the way. Regional routes also connect toward the BR-153 corridor for travel further north and west, useful for anyone continuing on toward neighboring states. Within the city and its immediate surroundings, roads are generally well paved and gently hilly, giving Rio Preto its Colinas nickname, with wide avenues that make city driving relatively easy compared to denser Brazilian metros.
Toll booths are a regular feature of Sao Paulo state's highway network, including stretches of the Washington Luis, so keeping small cash or a toll tag arrangement with your rental company is worth sorting out before a longer drive. Fuel stations are frequent along the main highways, and both gasoline and ethanol are commonly available, since Brazilian vehicles are often flex-fuel. For visitors combining Rio Preto with the wider interior of Sao Paulo state, a rental car from the airport offers an easy, flexible way to see the region's agribusiness towns and countryside at a comfortable, self-directed pace, without waiting on limited regional bus connections between the smaller towns.