Based on the hyperelastic material models, the propagation of nonlinear travelling waves in cylindrical rods has been studied. Here, different types of nonlinear travelling waves in a thermo-hyperelastic neo-Hookean cylindrical shell are determined. By using the variational principle, a complex differential dynamical system describing the axisymmetric motion of the shell is derived. The effect of the temperature fields is considered. Moreover, the structure is extended from a one-dimensional rod to a three-dimensional cylindrical shell. Then in terms of the bifurcation theory, a detailed qualitative analysis of the system is carried out, and for the bifurcation parameters, their corresponding critical bifurcation values are determined. Combining with the orbits in phase diagrams under different parameters, solitary waves and periodic waves are found in the shell. It is worth pointing out that the solitary waves with the valley form may appear in the radial direction of the shell. The implicit analytical solutions and profiles of these travelling waves are given. There is a promising prospect for the propagation of strongly nonlinear travelling waves to detect structural defects and determine material parameters.