It’s quite a surprise to come across this ‘trumpet tree’ on the Prince Alfred Pass between Uniondale and Knysna. It piques your curiosity. Stopping to find out more, you soon realise that the trumpet-like funnels are meant to be blown like giant vuvuzelas. The sound reverberates through the valley sounding very much like an elephant’s trumpeting call.
The interactive sculpture called ‘Calling the Herd’ was created in 2013 by land artist Strijdom van der Merwe. Its purpose is to honour the elephants that once lived in the area and travelled on ancient migration routes through these mountains. It forms part of the Eden to Addo conservation initiative where a corridor links the Garden Route National Park with Addo Elephant National Park 400km away, re-establishing old wildlife routes.