I will be brief. It is 2 AM and only 4 hours away from our wake-up call. And, just in case you haven’t been here before, I am NOT a morning person so it won’t be easy to wake up. At all.
Anyway, here is my particular chronicle of these two first days at TBCAsia – the first Travel Bloggers Conference in Asia! – which is being held in Sri Lanka at the moment. Lucky me, I got to come 2 weeks in advance and explore a bit of the West and South coasts as well as the central part of the island on my own. But finally yesterday that changed, and since then, I am moving around with 50 international travel bloggers. FUN!
Based in Habarana, we have been exploring the area for the last day and a half. Have a look at my highlights of the North Central Province, which is away from the famous beaches of Sri Lanka but equally gorgeous.
Witnessing ‘The Gathering’ at Kaudulla National Park, where wild elephants socialize daily meters away from your safari jeep.

Elephant safari at Kaudulla National Park, Sri Lanka

Wildlife safari or spotting elephants from these jeeps at Kaudulla is so much fun!
Going all the way to the top of Sigiriya Rock Fortress. Well worth climbing more than one thousand steps!

Buddhist monk at Sigiriya, Sri Lanka
Enjoying the sunset at Polonnaruwa, the royal ancient city of Polonnaru District, among picture-perfect landscapes and Unesco’s World Heritage monuments.

The ancient site of Polonnaruwa’s gorgeous location makes it for stunning sunset shots.

Stupa at Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka
Disclaimer
I came to Sri Lanka to take part in a travel bloggers’ conference called TBCAsia, the first of its kind in Asia, along with 50 international bloggers. Managed by the PTBA, Professional Travel Bloggers Association of which I am a member as well as Cinnamon Hotels, Cinnamon Air, and Sri Lankan Airlines, this invitation was an excellent opportunity I could just not let go of. In any case, all the opinions here are my own.
The three experiences highlighted in this article have, as well, been offered by Cinnamon and Cinnamon Nature Trails. A complete article about Yala National Park, in the South part of Sri Lanka, which I got to visit last week and where I experienced more than a handful of awesome activities, will be out very soon. Stay tuned!
Want to have a look at other Cinnamon Hotels and Resorts properties? Enjoy our friend Steve Hanisch’s video.
Disclaimer 2.0
This specific post is, as well, an entry to a very special contest that is being held right now at TBCAsia. The prize is a scenic flight with Cinnamon Air in 2 days and I have been dreaming of this for a while now.
Wish me luck!
Update: This article won me a spot! As predicted, flying over Sri Lanka on a small plane was pretty cool.
Lovely pictures!
Have you success in TBCAsia.
Thanks! I had an amazing time in Sri Lanka indeed
After disclaimer: I tihink that you have enjoyed a lot these days!
I did! If only I could go back right now.. Thanks for stopping by Agremon!