A Peruvian scientist has discovered a four-mile river at the heart of the Amazon that he used to only hear about through stories from his grandfather. Legend has it that this river boils and it did so to protect itself from foolish men who wanted to steal the site's treasures.

Andres Ruzo grew fascinated with his grandfather's stories that he ended up studying as a geoscientist. He traced the mysteries of the river once again as he was working on his PhD.

Searching For The River

Ruzo was unsure if what his grandfather told him was real. In his earlier visits to the Peruvian sites, local experts said that a boiling river of any kind did not exist in the area. There was no volcano in the region too.

"I asked colleagues from universities, the government, oil, gas and mining companies, and the answer was a unanimous no," Ruzo said. "And this makes sense. You see, boiling rivers do exist in the world, but they're generally associated with volcanoes. You need a powerful heat source to produce such a large geothermal manifestation."

Returning to his hometown one time, an aunt told him that she was able to swim in the river when she was younger. With her help, Ruzo set forth to search for it and finally found the river in 2011.

What The Legendary River Is Really Like

It turns out that the river sits on a site known as the Mayantuyacu and small groups of tourists visit this regularly. Locals and visitors believe that the river has medicinal and therapeutic benefits and it is protected by shamans from the Asháninka tribe.

The river's water is so hot that anything falling in it, such as an animal, would be cooked. Anyone dipping their hand in the water would get third-degree burns, which is why Ruzo uses a protective gear in his examinations.

Ruzo's grandfather was also right about the river boiling, however, this only existed in a small part of the river's 25-meter stretch. "You feel this water surging past you and plumes of vapor coming up. It's truly a spectacular place," Ruzo said.

He is now working to learn more about the Mayantuyacu to preserve its natural properties with the help of the local community and some microbial ecologist. Loggers and energy developers threaten the existence of the river. "I realized this is a natural wonder and it's not going to be around unless we do something about it," the geoscientist concluded.