Cayenne — Papillon's Hidden Chest
Uncover the lost chest of Papillon, the legendary escapee, hidden amid Cayenne's colonial landmarks. Decipher convict codes and follow clues to outwit guards and claim the fortune before it vanishes forever.
📱 1 to 10 phones · 1 team per phone · Independent codes
In the sweltering heart of French Guiana's penal colony era, Henri Charrière—known as Papillon—plotted his daring escapes from the brutal camps around Cayenne
Cayenne — Papillon's Hidden Chest
You are an investigative journalist in Cayenne, 1931, determined to uncover the secrets of its notorious penal colony.
You step into the shoes of Henri Charrière, escaped convict and
Follow the traces of Henri Charrière, the famous Papillon, through the streets of Cayenne where convicts transited before their deportation to French Guiana's penal colony between 1854 and 1946.
« Papillon, written by Henri Charrière, a former prisoner of French Guiana, is a factual account (with some memory lapses) of his experience... »— Henri Charrière, Papillon, 1969
The story that haunts this land
Place des Palmistes, laid out in 1785 under intendant François Barthélemy de Royer, served as the parade ground at Cayenne's heart. On its 2 hectares bordered by royal palms planted in the 19th century, freshly landed convicts awaited their assignment. Listed as a Historic Monument in 1991, this esplanade witnessed historic public gatherings, notably during the French Revolution in Guiana in 1789. Henri Charrière certainly set foot here, contemplating freedom one last time before imprisonment.
Fort Cépérou, built between 1643 and 1653 by Charles Deschamps des Forts, Cayenne's first governor, raises its horseshoe-shaped bastions over 1.2 hectares. These stone and earth fortifications became a prison for political detainees in the 19th century, notably housing deported Communards in 1871. Restored in 1987 and listed as a Historic Monument in 2005, these ramparts saw thousands of convicts pass before transfer to interior penitentiaries. Papillon knew these walls that separated free men from the damned.
Rue Arago, traced in the 18th century and named after astronomer Dominique François Jean Arago, stretches 500 meters between Creole houses built between 1820 and 1860. This commercial artery of the colonial quarter, integrated into Cayenne's protected perimeter in 1984, was one of the main routes taken by convict convoys. Its solid dwellings, built after the 1760 cyclones, witnessed the incessant coming and going of prisoners toward their final destinations.
Cayenne's Central Market, built in 1890 in the metallic style of Baltard's halls, covers 1,200 m² and can accommodate 500 merchants. Listed as a Historic Monument in 2002, this daily commerce site since 1896 saw arrivals of supplies destined for penitentiaries. Fresh fish and local spices neighbored convicts' survival rations. Henri Charrière probably crossed these stalls, breathing in freedom's fragrances one last time before departure to the green hell.
Your journey ends at Cayenne's Old Port, developed from 1643 and reinforced in 1764 with its 300 meters of quays. Arrival point for convicts via penal transport from 1854 to 1946, these 5-meter-deep waters saw ships depart for Devil's Island and interior camps. Protected since 1984 within the historic perimeter, this port preserves the imprint of 70,000 deportees who crossed its pontoons. You carry with you the echo of their chains and the strength of their hope for freedom.
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.
The game downloads to your phone on start. Once the "✓ Downloaded" indicator appears, everything works without data — narration, AR, GPS and puzzles. Perfect abroad without a data plan.
Want to go deeper?
Places tied to your adventure — optional entries, totally up to you · per person
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 Weight of History
Dive into a painful past and explore the remnants of the penal colony, where thousands of lives were shattered.
A Secret Register
Uncover a document that could rewrite the history of escapes and the memory of the convicts.
The Spirit of Escape
Follow in the footsteps of the greatest escapees, like Papillon, and feel their audacity at every step.
Freedom is priceless, but it has secrets.
Uncover the past, release the truth.
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
Q01Is Cayenne — Papillon's Hidden Chest similar to a treasure hunt?
Same spirit: search, deduce, find. But here the "treasure" is a full story to piece together in eight stops. Each stop gives you a fragment of the final code. Eight fragments later, you've cracked it.
Q02How many stops are in Cayenne — Papillon's Hidden Chest?
Eight stops total. At each stop you find a camera clue, solve the puzzle, collect a fragment of the final code. With all eight, you've got the answer.
Q03Can we do Cayenne — Papillon's Hidden Chest as a family with kids?
Yes, from age 6 with an adult reading puzzles aloud, and from age 12 on their own. Kids love the "find the camera clue" part — it's very visual, gets them genuinely involved.
Q04What if we get stuck on a puzzle?
Three hint levels per puzzle, with a small increasing time penalty. If truly stuck after level 3, you can skip the step (45-min penalty). The point: nobody stays blocked and goes home frustrated.
Avis des aventuriers
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Your turn to play
Follow the traces of Henri Charrière, the famous Papillon, through the streets of Cayenne where convicts transited before their deportation to French Guiana's penal colony between 1854 and 1946.
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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