Kimberley — Rhodes' Hidden Code
Uncover a secret cipher left by Cecil Rhodes in the heart of Kimberley’s siege-era monuments and decode the real price of his empire.
📱 1 to 10 phones · 1 team per phone · Independent codes
In the dusty streets of Kimberley, Cecil Rhodes’ shadow still looms over the diamond mines and memorials he shaped
Kimberley — Rhodes' Hidden Code
You are a De Beers operative, assigned to a discreet mission in Kimberley, 1888.
Cecil Rhodes has just established his company to consolidate mine control, but crucial documents have disappeared from his offices
Walk through Kimberley's streets where Cecil Rhodes built his diamond empire between 1871 and 1902, transforming a frontier town into the world's mining capital.
A game, a guided tour and a heritage guide — all in one
You're not just buying an escape game. You're carrying a living guide — historical anecdotes, forgotten legends, key monuments, hidden architecture — unfolding as you go.
At each stop, places ordinary guides miss — secret façades, sculpted crests, alleys steeped in history.
Every riddle is rooted in a real historical fact or local legend. You leave with dozens of stories to tell.
Learn to read buildings — flamboyant Gothic, Baroque, Art Deco — like a real art historian, while having fun.
Walk through the city like a novel's character — every alley becomes a stage, every square a theatre.
A voice walks with you at every step, tells the story of each place, reads clues, adds a cinematic feel.
Keep access to the guide & game for 1 year. Come back any time, share it with friends.
« You will not leave this city the way you entered it. »
How does it work?
Explore the city on foot solving puzzles based on real historical facts. No locked room — the city is your playground.
No app to download. Play directly from your browser. Guided step by step, at your own pace.
One purchase per phone is enough. Play with family, friends or as a couple — everyone participates.
Point your phone at the façade: a historical character appears and speaks to you in your language. Golden letters magically write themselves on the wall to reveal the puzzle answer.
Stuck? Progressive personalised hints. The character repeats the puzzle on demand — at your own pace.
French, English, German, Spanish, Italian + 27 other languages auto-translated by AI.
Want to go deeper?
Places tied to your adventure — optional entries, totally up to you · per person
The story that haunts this land
Your investigation begins at the Big Hole, this titanic excavation started in 1871 that became the world's largest open-pit diamond mine. Facing this crater 1,097 meters deep and 1,600 meters in diameter, you grasp the scope of the Rhodesian enterprise: 2,722 carats of rough diamonds extracted until 1914. The first clues of your mission hide in the remnants of this operation that made Cecil Rhodes' fortune and laid the foundations of De Beers Consolidated Mines in 1888.
Kimberley City Hall, completed in 1899, raises its red brick facade and clock tower at the heart of the historic quarter. This symbol of Edwardian municipal power testifies to the prosperity generated by the diamond rush. Its British architectural style walls house municipal archives where Rhodes negotiated his mining contracts. Your phone reveals secret signatures carved in stone, traces of agreements that shaped the South African diamond empire.
Cecil John Rhodes' statue, erected in the city center, recalls this magnate's influence on Kimberley's development and all of southern Africa. This controversial monument marks the peak of a man who controlled 90% of global diamond production. Around this bronze, Victorian buildings preserve secrets of his colonial expansion methods, revealed by augmented reality that brings 1888 negotiations back to life.
The Kimberley Club, social establishment founded in the late 19th century, embodied the prestige of the British colonial elite. In this Victorian architecture building, Rhodes, Barnato and other diamond magnates sealed their alliances and betrayals. Its refined salons witnessed the birth of strategies that consolidated the mining industry under De Beers' aegis. The club's walls still whisper conversations that determined southern Africa's economic fate.
Your journey ends at Oppenheimer Gardens, named in homage to the dynasty that succeeded Rhodes in the diamond empire. Harry Oppenheimer, heir to this fortune built on Rhodesian foundations, perpetuated De Beers' influence into the 20th century. This public garden symbolizes Kimberley's transformation from pioneer town to industrial metropolis. You leave with intimate understanding of a colonial system that shaped the global precious stone economy.
The Route
8 stages through the city
The gameplay: AR, camera, hidden clues
At each stop, open your phone camera: an augmented reality character appears on the façade and speaks your language. Hunt the clue — it materializes as golden letters on the real wall or floats in front of you. When you find it, the phone vibrates, an AR chest opens and reveals your answer fragment. 8 stops, 8 clues to find with the camera, 1 final code.
The stops on your route are a surprise. You'll discover them one by one, guided by your phone, starting from the meeting point.
How does it work with a group?
One phone = one team. Pick the number at checkout (1 to 10).
Solo, or a group sharing the screen. One team, one code.
Family, couple, or 2-3 teams competing. Each phone has its own code and its own score.
Friends, bachelor/bachelorette, small office outing — each their own code, each plays at their own pace. Tiered pricing then €6 flat per phone from the 6th.
- ✓All codes are independent — play at the same time OR separately, each team advances at its own pace.
- ✓Leaderboard between your teams + global game leaderboard — each score appears in the public ranking.
- ✓More than 10 phones or need a personalized quest? Discover custom tours.
Ready to live this adventure?
Get my code · 12€No calendar booking. Code sent immediately by email.
🔒 Secure payment · Code in 5 min · Free cancellation
Practical info
Why this route?
The Sand's Gold
Dive into the heart of the diamond rush that shaped Kimberley and Cecil Rhodes' fortune.
Imperial Ambition
Discover how one man used his wealth to build a colonial empire in Southern Africa.
Political Machinations
Unravel the manipulative strategies that allowed Rhodes to dominate both economics and politics.
Power is not given, it is taken.
Cecil John Rhodes
9 features nobody else has
OddballTrip combines gamified play, augmented reality and AI. All our competitors deliver 1 or 2 of these angles. We deliver all 5.
AR treasure chest
A golden chest floats in front of the monument. Tap → opening animation → reveals a secret message.
AR narrator character
Point your phone at the façade: a knight, witch, monk, sailor, detective or ghost appears full-screen and speaks to you in your language with their dedicated ElevenLabs voice (each character has their own unique voice) — your living guide.
Magic golden letters
At the puzzle climax, golden letters magically write themselves on the real wall — that's the puzzle answer. An unforgettable visual effect.
Written + audio narration
Every puzzle available as text AND voice-over: read at your own pace or listen eyes-free while walking. Great in groups and for accessibility.
360° radar + vibration
A mini-radar shows the target even behind you, and the phone vibrates when you aim in the right direction.
Heritage storytelling
Every puzzle weaves in real historical facts (architecture, era, anecdotes). You learn by playing — like a gamified audioguide.
Progressive AI hints
3 levels of AI-generated help: vibe → where to look → answer format. You're never stuck.
AR selfie memento
At the end of the game, capture a selfie with OddballTrip banner + mascot, shareable on Instagram, TikTok.
Zero app to install
PWA technology: open the link, it plays in your browser. Same quality as an app, no App Store hassle.
Frequently asked questions
Q01Do I need to download an app?
No, never. You get a link, you click, it plays in your browser. That's the point of a PWA: same as an app, without the hassle.
Q02Does it work offline?
GPS yes (handled by your phone). Maps yes (tiles cached). AI and hints need an intermittent 4G connection.
Q03How long does a game take?
1 h 30 to 2 h 30 depending on your pace. The timer runs but only for the leaderboard — you play at your own tempo.
Q04What happens if I'm stuck?
You get 3 levels of hints per puzzle (increasing penalty). If truly stuck, you can skip the step (45-min penalty but you keep going).
Q05What's the age range?
From 12 without an adult, from 6 with an adult reading puzzles. Works for families, couples, friend groups, companies.
Q06What if my city isn't in the catalogue?
Pre-register or contact us — we'll email you as soon as your city is live.
Q07What is augmented reality exactly?
Point your phone at the façade: a historical character appears full-screen and speaks to you in your language. At the puzzle climax, golden letters magically write themselves on the real wall — that's your answer. After each puzzle solved, a treasure chest floats in front of you. Seeing is believing.
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Your turn to play
Walk through Kimberley's streets where Cecil Rhodes built his diamond empire between 1871 and 1902, transforming a frontier town into the world's mining capital.
1 purchase = 1 phone. Play several on the same device.
No calendar booking. Code sent immediately by email.
🔒Secure payment · Code in 5 min · Free cancellation
🪙+24 TripCoins granted with your booking
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