Charles La Trobe was born in London, the son of Christian Ignatius Latrobe, a leader of the Moravian Church, from a family of French Huguenot descent, whose mother was a member of the Moravian Church born in the United States. He was educated in England and later spent time in Switzerland and was active in mountaineering; he made a number of ascents in the Alps 1824–26. La Trobe wrote several travel books describing his experiences: "The Alpenstock: Or Sketches of Swiss Scenery and Manners" (1829) and "The Pedestrian: A Summer's Ramble in the Tyrol" (1832).