One of Kent’s biggest wildlife parks is opening its hidden gardens to the public.

The new guided tours of Port Lympne’s historic gardens in Hythe will include highlights such as the hydrangea walk, vineyard and rose garden.

The tours, which begin today and will continue every Wednesday until the end of September, have been curated by qualified RHS Master of Horticulture David Sutton, who has worked on the gardens at both Port Lympne and Howletts, near Canterbury, for a number of years.

Visitors will begin their tour of the 14-acre gardens, led by an expert guide, at the hydrangea walk, where you can find ornamental ponds, sculptures and views over the estate and 1920s mansion.

From there, you will be taken through the vineyard, iceberg garden, fig yard, rose garden, azalea walk and checkerboard garden, all of which will be bursting with colourful summer blooms.

Port Lympne’s managing director Tony Kelly said: “Port Lympne is famous for our iconic truck safari, stunning wildlife and short break stays, but our gardens alone are a wonder that we want to share with the public.

“Our horticulture experts have many years of experience and knowledge that they cannot wait to share with our visitors.”

There’s also the option to add an afternoon tea to your tour for an additional cost.

The afternoon tea tour, which costs £55, includes a selection of finger sandwiches, pastries, desserts, clotted cream and jam to be enjoyed inside the park’s Garden Restaurant.

You can also choose to have a glass of prosecco or sparkling wine alongside your meal.

Garden tours, without the afternoon tea option, cost £15. You can book a tour online here.

Visitors who want to take part in a garden tour will also need to purchase a standard entry ticket to the park, which is home to more than 900 animals across 75 species, including tigers, lions and gorillas.

A park ticket also includes the regular safari tours across the reserve where animals such as giraffes and zebras roam freely around the Kentish savannah.

Standard adult entry tickets to Port Lympne Safari Park and Wild Animal Reserve cost £29.