Departure from Belém
Vasco da Gama opens the route to India
📱 1 to 10 phones · 1 team per phone · Independent codes
On 8 July 1497, four ships and 170 men leave Restelo to round a world
Belém — where Europe left the known world for good
On the Restelo beach, at dawn one Sunday in the summer of 1497, four ships wait for the tide. King Manuel I has just entrusted an unknown young captain with a mission Christopher Columbus had failed to accomplish: reach India by sea. Vasco da Gama is 28 and carries a sealed letter no one is to open before the Cape of Good Hope. Eight marks carved in Belém trace the secret plan of this voyage that will tip the balance of the world.
« "Through seas never before sailed." »— — Luís de Camões, The Lusiads (Canto I)
Four ships for a world
On 8 July 1497, Vasco da Gama raised anchor before the chapel of Santa Maria de Belém, where King Henry the Navigator had built a house for sailors leaving for Africa. Four vessels — the São Gabriel, the São Rafael, the Bérrio and a supply ship — carried 170 men towards a horizon no one had ever returned from. The voyage would last two years, cost the lives of two-thirds of the crew, and return with sixty times its investment in spices.
The arrival at Calicut on 20 May 1498 opened the maritime route to India. In a single voyage, Gama broke Venice's monopoly on pepper and cinnamon, forced the sultans of the Swahili coast to acknowledge a king they had never heard of, and made Portugal the first global empire in history. Manuel I immediately ordered the Jerónimos Monastery in thanks, built on the exact site of the chapel from which the fleet had sailed.
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?
India route
In the wake of the four ships that first rounded Africa.
UNESCO Manueline
Jerónimos and Belém Tower, masterpieces of the Discoveries style.
Wind rose
A giant floor chart to find the fleet's ports of call.
Through seas never before sailed
The motto of the Lusiads for a departure that redraws the world
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
Q01What's the difference with a regular indoor escape room?
Outdoor escape game format: no physical locks, no actor, no fixed time slot. You start when you want, progress through Belém, right bank of the Tagus with your phone, and the city itself is the set. More immersive on local history, more flexible in pace.
Q02Can we take a break mid-trail?
Of course. Stop at a café, have lunch, resume later: your progress is saved. Many players bake a meal break into the trail, especially with families.
Q03Do we need to be several people to enjoy it?
No, solo works very well. The outdoor escape game format in self-guided mode leaves room for introspection: read the story at your pace, hunt clues like a detective. 2-6 players is more social, solo is more contemplative.
Q04Best season to explore Belém, right bank of the Tagus like this?
Spring and autumn are the best seasons: mild temperatures, fewer tourists, gorgeous light. Summer is also great but go for early morning before 11 or late afternoon. Winter is perfectly playable, especially in southern cities — Belém, right bank of the Tagus often feels more authentic then.
Avis des aventuriers
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Your turn to play
Crack the eight seals of the royal letter to find the fleet's secret heading.
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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