In a remote part of the Amazonian rainforest, a river so steeped in myth that many believed it did not exist has been confirmed as real, thanks to the work of a geothermal scientist who is now fighting to protect it. The Shanay-timpishka, commonly known as the 'Boiling River of the Amazon', is a tributary of the Pachitea River, which flows towards the Amazon River. At its hottest points, the water can reach close to 100°C.
A River of Legend and Ritual
The river has been known to indigenous Peruvians for centuries and has been used for spiritual and healing rituals. They named it 'Shanay-timpishka', which translates to 'boiled by the heat of the sun'. The local Asháninka and Shipibo peoples believe the river is birthed by Yacumama, a mythical enormous serpent believed to inhabit the Amazon Rainforest. Local shamans teach that Yacumama is the 'Mother of the Waters'.
Geothermal scientist Andrés Ruzo first heard of the scalding river from his grandfather, who told him a legend about Spanish conquistadors who ventured into the jungle and returned with tales of a river that boiled. Ruzo became the first scientist permitted by the local shamans to map, study, and legally help protect the river. Guided by his aunt, he travelled through the jungle in 2011 and confirmed the river's existence.
Protecting the River and Its People
Ruzo worked to study the river and also helped the local indigenous people secure their rights to it. The area faces massive danger from deforestation, which destroys the forest and surrounding ecosystems. Ruzo became an advocate for the ancestral people living in the region and helped secure legal titles to the land. He also founded the Boiling River Project, a non-profit organisation that advocates for the permanent protection of the river.
An Anomaly Heated by the Earth's Core
One of the most fascinating aspects of the river is that it is an anomaly. Usually, geothermal rivers and springs are heated by volcanic currents, but in the case of Shanay-timpishka, the closest volcano is 700 kilometres away. Instead, the water is heated by the core of the Earth. Rainwater seeps into the earth's crust through fault lines, where it is heated to boiling and then pushed back up into the river.
The river is littered with animal bones and bodies which have been cooked inside. Tragically, it is not only animals that have been killed by the boiling water. A Toronto woman died in 2025 after she fell into the river whilst meditating on a rock nearby. Although Maya Moreno managed to escape from the water alive, she tragically died later in hospital after suffering burns to 70% of her body. According to a GoFundMe for Maya, she had travelled to the river as part of a spiritual journey and fainted beside the river, which caused her to fall in.
