Scholarship on guiding and interpretation positions formal training as a central factor in guide instruction. Guide training operates in the area that mediates between personal characteristics, attitudes and knowledge of the guides and what may be desirable qualities from the visitors’ perspectives. Notably, this dichotomy is not necessarily reflected in the formal guide training provided by industry associations, tertiary education institutions and tour operating companies. Generally, the focus in training for guiding and interpretation is on knowledge of the tour content, communication skills, delivery of presentations, customer service skills, group management, and health and safety. Competency in particular skills such as climbing or kayaking may be required for adventure tourism guides. Certificates thus earned may be a requirement for future employment as a guide. The underlying assumption of these training approaches is that they are conducive to guide learning. Little is known about how guides actually acquire knowledge and develop their skills in guiding and interpretation over time. This paper departs from the assumption that training has a vital impact on guide development and instead posits lifelong learning as the most significant formative influence on guides. Studies on guiding have to date overlooked the importance of informal learning and its potentially influential role in professional development. This paper, based on primary empirical research on guides’ perspectives on the interpretation of indigenous cultural heritage, argues that lifelong learning is more formative than formal guide training and related education. Life experience and prior learning of both indigenous and non-indigenous guides inform and influence their performance. In addition to the empirical findings, the discussion in this paper is based on a review of the relevant literatures on guiding, interpretation, and learning in the context of tourism.