Christopher P. Baker was born and raised in Yorkshire, England. He received a B.A. in geography from University College, London, and master’s degrees in Latin American studies from Liverpool University and in education from the Institute of Education, London University. He began his writing career in 1978 as Contributing Editor on Latin America for Land & Liberty, a London-based political journal. In 1980 he received a Scripps-Howard Foundation Scholarship in Journalism to attend the University of California, Berkeley.

Since 1983, Christopher has made his living as a professional travel writer, photographer, lecturer, and tour guide and is acclaimed for his specialist knowledge on Cuba and Costa Rica, about which he has written 10 books. He has contributed to more than 150 publications worldwide as far-ranging as Caribbean Travel & Life, Maxim, National Geographic Traveler, The Robb Report, and the Los Angeles Times. He has been profiled in USA Today, appears frequently on radio and television talk shows and as a guest-lecturer aboard cruise ships, and has been privileged to address such organizations as the National Press Club, the World Affairs Council, and the National Geographic Society. He is a National Geographic Resident Expert and currently escorts cruise-tours of Costa Rica and Panama for National Geographic Expeditions. His many books include Moon Cuba and Mi Moto Fidel: Motorcycling Through Castro's Cuba, winner of both the 2002 Lowell Thomas Award for Best Travel Book and the North American Travel Journalist Association's Grand Prize. His other awards include the prestigious Lowell Thomas Award 2008 for Travel Journalist of the Year' and the Caribbean Tourism Organization Award 2005 for Travel Journalist of the Year.