Cristhian Ureña was born in Turrialba, Costa Rica, surrounded by mountains and volcanoes. At an early age, he became captivated by nature, particularly birds and frogs. These interests had him exploring the local towns and environments, providing him with exceptional knowledge on his country’s natural environment.
Deciding to focus on sustainable tourism, he moved to the Pacific coast to study Rural Sustainable Tourism at Technology Institute of Costa Rica. Cristhian’s final project during his studies involved ecotourism development in small communities in Cartago, Costa Rica. After his degree, Cristhian worked for eight years on the Caribbean Coast and in northern Costa Rica at reserves and parks such as Tirimbina Biological Reserve, Veragua Rainforest Center, and Rancho Naturalista. These opportunities helped him increase his knowledge about Indigenous cultures, chocolate production, bats, frogs, the natural history of Costa Rican biodiversity, and of course, birds! In 2013 he made the decision to start his own birdwatching company Peregrinus Expeditions.