Are you a dreamer or an adventurer?

This summer, Kew Gardens invites visitors to embark on The Wander Project, a unique series of trails encouraging people to explore the great outdoors and enjoy spending time in nature.

From Saturday 27 May, a series of bespoke new trails will take over the gardens, presenting a plethora of options for outdoor adventure against the stunning backdrop of Kew’s 320-acre UNESCO World Heritage Site.

After entering into the Gardens through a vibrant installation at Victoria Gate designed by Studio HATO, visitors to Kew across the summer will be invited to embark on their own journey of discovery through the gardens. Whether they see themselves as Adventurers, Wanderers, Protectors, Dreamers or Time Travellers, explorers will be guided through their walk by a mix of inspiring leaders including Ben Okri, Clara Amfo, Clover Hogan, Dara McAnulty, Ella Saltmarshe, Ellie Goulding, Fearne Cotton, James Miller, Judy Ling Wong, Kate Raworth, Love Ssega, Mya-Rose Craig, Sam Lee, SERAFINE1369, Shiraz Bayoo and Tori Tsui. Alongside them, Kew scientists, horticulturists and curators will offer their own inspiring insights into this incredible site, officially home to the largest living plant collection on Earth.

Unfolding under the towering canopy of the Treetop Walkway, the Adventurers trail allows you to experience the world from all angles- look up, look down and even upside down as you explore this incredible corner of Kew’s over 12,000-strong Arboretum. Brave Wanderers can take their time to savour every moment and engage all of their senses as they take in a scenic route across the lake. Protectors are invited to immerse themselves in nature and nourish their minds and bodies, reflecting on how to build a sustainable future for all on this trail which takes in the Temperate House, the world’s oldest surviving Victorian glasshouse which celebrates its 160^th anniversary this year.

Celebrating its 175^th anniversary in 2023, Kew’s iconic Palm House takes centre stage in the Dreamers trail, designed to feed the imagination and celebrate the awe-inspiring power of the natural world. Finally, the Time Travellers trail, meandering through the magnificent Redwood Grove, draws inspiration from the stories we tell about nature and how these shape our collective consciousness. These trees can live for as long as 3,000 years, but are currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List due to overexploitation and unsustainable logging.

Scientists at Kew are working hard to highlight just how vital nature is for securing our access to clean air and water, nutritious food, medicines, and clothing. However, a phenomenon called ‘green blindness’ -   an inability to see plants and fungi as wildlife - means plants and fungi are often overlooked when it comes to wildlife conservation. Spending time in nature at Kew Gardens this summer aims to prompt visitors to really see the diversity of plants around them and notice individual differences.

Without plants and fungi there is no life on Earth, and yet scientists are in a race against time to protect nature from the biodiversity crisis. Globally, as many as 2 in 5 plants are threatened with extinction - species are often lost faster than they can be described. Many of the threatened and endangered plants can be seen at Kew as part of our conservation efforts in our glasshouse collections.

The Wander Project at Kew Gardens runs from 27 May to 3 September 2023. Ticket prices include £1 ticket offer for those in receipt of Pension Credit, Universal Credit or other Legacy Benefits, as well as a £9 young person's ticket for those 16-29 and savings for day paying visitors if tickets are booked in advance at kew.org, as well as discounted tickets for arrivals after 4pm.