I’d forgotten how much I love the mountains.

I used to go skiing every year since I was 6 and, as a teenager, I spent several summers in a row hiking in the French Alps.

But I’d had to pass on skiing these last few years and, aside from a couple of short trips to North Wales’ Snowdonia, it had been nearly three years since I’d last had a chance to spend some proper time in the mountains.

So it was a welcome change to head to the Swiss colony of San Carlos de Bariloche after four days in the flat, coastal town of Puerto Madryn – days mainly spent driving through the infinite barren expanses surrounding it.

I was really looking forward to it, and sure enough, as soon as I reached the West side of Northern Patagonia at the end of a sleepless 14-hour bus ride, I immediately fell in love with the alpine landscape, glistening lakes and wooden cottages. This felt familiar. It felt like my kind of place. I felt – almost – at home.

Having settled in my hostel (Periko’s Youth Hostel, another great one – I’ve been very lucky with accomodation so far!), I set out to plan my two full days in ‘Bari’. A little spaced out after all the driving and busing of the past few days, I was dying to get more active.

A chance then that Bariloche, the number one holiday destination for Portenos (the inhabitants of Buenos Aires), is not only Argentina’s most popular ski resort in winter, but turns into the capital of sports and outdoor pursuits in the summer…

The problem therefore was not to find something to do but to choose among the overlwheming number of activities on offer: trekking, kayaking, rafting, boating, rock climbing, sailing, cycling, horse-riding – these were only a few of the options, and they were all tempting… I wanted to do everything, but unfortunately, I knew that I was limited both moneywise and timewise.

So, what did I do? Well, like a good budget backpacker, I opted for the cheapest option! Which was: a day hike in the Cerro Tronador part of the Nahuel Huapi National Park. Not a bad choice either, as I found out from my guidebook after signing up that this was definitely one of Bari’s must-dos..!

I was picked up at 8am the next morning for a 2-hour minibus ride (on dirt paths, of course!) leading to the start of the trail. The drive itself was an attraction as the road zig-zagged around some of the majestuous lakes and lofty peaks that punctuate the region’s landscape.

Two hours later then, we reached La Pampa Linda, our starting-point under Cerro Tronador. The ‘Mount Thunder’, as its name translates into English, is an extinct volcano and owes its name to the tonitruous noise the snow and ice make when they fall – a noise that can be heard all the way into Bariloche when the city’s traffic is slow at night.

From ‘The Pretty Meadow’, a short circuit took us to our first stop, the Ventisquero Negro or ‘Black Glacier’. The mini-glacier owes its name to the dark sediments that cover the ice, and it was slightly ironic that the first glacier I saw in Argentina – and possibly in my life?! – was something of a black sheep!

After this, it was time to turn to serious things and we started on our 16km hike through the forest. The pleasant 4-hour walk took us through wild vegetation to various mountain streams…

 …until we reached our destination, the Castano Ovejo glacier and waterfalls – not a bad spot for a picnic!

We enjoyed the view and the silence for an hour, before retracing our steps and heading back to the Pampa Linda, where the bus was awaiting us.

Back at the hostel in Bariloche, I was greeted by Jessica, a French girl from Rennes I had met in Puerto Madryn. We caught up and decided to put Bariloche’s second claim to fame – that of being one of the gastronomic capitals of Argentina – to the test.

The city is home to many culinary specialties, including trout, goulash, the unavoidable steak, and above all chocolate and fondue – which, you’ve guessed it, are married into chocolate fondue! That night though, we opted for checking out El Boliche de Alberto, hailed by guidebooks and people all over the country as the best parrilla (grill) restaurant in the whole of Argentina.

The great thing about Alberto’s steak house is that despite its reputation, it’s remained very affordable: for 85 pesos (under £10) you get a full portion consisting of no fewer than 3 steaks! Think that might be a bit too much? No problem, you can content yourself with the half-portion, which provides ‘only’ 1.5 lumps of meat! El Boliche also has good vegetarian options – which as a not hugely enthusiastic meat-eater, I went for instead.

The next morning, the same dilemma presented itself as I was once again confronted with a plethora of potential activities. Jessica and I had planned to cycle the famous Circuito Chico but the threatening weather dissuaded us. Instead, we paired up with another French couple, Emmanuelle and Fabien, and decided to climb to the top of Cerro Catedral, Bariloche’s ski resort.

A bus took us to Villa Catedral at the foot of the mountain, from where a cable car and ski lift hauled us up to the start of the highest ski slope. From there, it was a 40 minute walk uphill to reach the Cerro’s summit – an effort rewarded with these views:

It was time for the alpinists to immortalise their conquest…

…and for a cheesy pose (there’s always time for that!):

We ended the afternoon with a 2-hour downhill walk that took us to the shores of Lago Gutierrez, with its pretty family beach.

The only thing left to do that night was to visit the town’s sumptuous chocolate shops to stock up on snacks for the onward journey, say goodbye to Jessica, Emmanuelle and Fabien, and prepare for an early start the next morning.

While my friends confessed themselves to be more sea birds than mountain-lovers, I left Bariloche totally charmed and wishing I could come back with more time and money to spare…

Are you more of a sea or mountain person? Or do you love both? Let me know in the comments below!

If you would like to follow the rest of my adventures, consider subscribing to the blog to receive all updates by email, and connecting with Camille in Wonderlands on Facebook, where I regularly post snapshots and musings that haven’t made it onto the site.