Forget the funny name for one moment and consider these implicit facts about Lake Titicaca. By volume the body of water between Peru and Bolivia is number one in size in South America. The surface area of the lake exceeds 8,300 km2, with an average depth of over 100 m. Incredibly, Titicaca also sits at an elevation of close to 4,000 m, which makes it one of the highest navigable lakes on the planet.

The elevation also explains why so many people suffer from oxygen deprivation sickness upon first visit. Many people who pass through Titicaca by way of tidy Puno, Peru, for example, experience the telltale symptoms of nausea quite rapidly and have to settle down before they explore the mystical lake.

And mystical Lake Titicaca is, by any measure. Fans of “The Motorcycle Diaries” and subsequent film of the same name will remember well not only the political diatribes of future revolutionary Ernesto “Che” Guevera but perhaps first and foremost, the love letter the book was to the sheer natural beauty of South America. Titicaca had a prominent role in that love letter and indeed, scores of visitors have been inspired by Che since the publication of his early diaries to experience the wonders of the awesome lake.

The lake offers many terrific points of interest, from coastal towns to tiny, sparsely inhabited islands that seem like virtual time warps. The island of Amantani is a perfect example, home to less than one-thousand native Quecha families, none of whose lungs seem to suffer the effects of high elevation and lack of abundant oxygen. The tiny island contains two mountain peaks and features neat, terraced rows of crops on the hillsides. Visitors who want a pure, authentic experience while on Lake Titicaca can opt to stay with a native family for a night or two.

Lake Titicaca is also notable for a group of artificial islands dubbed the Uros. Built entirely of grassy reeds, the Uros are rife with old, defensive structures made up of the same lakebed flora.

The islands, quite popular with tourists, are now populated by indigenous peoples who harvest on the Uros and live off the fruits of the lake.

The Titicaca island of Taquile is a short trip from Puno and was once a colonial prison as recently as the early 20th century. For close to four decades now, the native people of the island have had control of Taquile. A visit is more than worthwhile, if only to witness the spectacular pre-Inca ruins on the island.

Most people who visit Lake Titicaca make their way at some point to the gorgeous little town of Copacabana. The town is the main lakeside gateway in Bolivia to parts further down Lake Titicaca.

Copacabana could not be more tranquil and idyllic – and entirely different from the Barry Manilow song of the same name. Flush with tradition, the 6,000 or so inhabitants are hospitable and welcome earnest visitors with open arms and doors.

Those who set off to venture across Titicaca from Copacabana often end up first on the Isla del Sol. The venerable Inca island is a big part of the reason why the lake is so steeped in mysticism and ancient reverence. Amazingly, close to 200 ruins dot Isla del Sol and date back for the most part to the 15th century. There is evidence to suggest however, that the island was a settlement as far back as 3,000 BC.

Native people still inhabit the island and participate in subsistence agriculture and fishing, though tourism plays an increasingly vital role in the local economy. As the purported birthplace of the Inca sun god, Isla del Sol is just one of many excellent reasons to visit breathtaking Lake Titicaca.

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