Karakorum — Uncover the Paradox
Decipher the Paradox of Karakorum: why did Genghis Khan's glittering capital vanish without trace? Solve the conspiracy that erased its secrets from history amid ruins, temples, and ancient inscriptions.
📱 1 to 10 phones · 1 team per phone · Independent codes
In 1220, Genghis Khan founded Karakorum as the heart of his vast empire, a crossroads of Silk Road traders, Chinese artisans, Muslim merchants, and diplomats from afar
Karakorum — Uncover the Paradox
You are an emissary of Möngke Khan, on an inspection mission in Karakorum, the former imperial capital, in 1250.
You arrive in the heart of Ov
Explore the ruins of Karakorum, forgotten capital of the Mongol empire that ruled a third of the world in the 13th century.
The story that haunts this land
Your investigation begins at Turtle Rock (Khongor Rock), a geological formation that served as a topographical landmark for Mongol armies crossing the Kharkhorin plains. In Mongol cosmology, the turtle symbolizes stability and longevity of the empire, qualities that Möngke Khan wished to anchor in his capital founded around 1235. This natural rock, accessible on foot from the city center, reveals the first enigma: why did the Mongols choose this precise site to establish the administrative center of history's largest land empire?
Karakorum Museum unveils archaeological secrets of the imperial city through collections of tools, pottery, and coins from excavations. Scale models reconstruct the original city layout, revealing that Karakorum was not a massive urban agglomeration but a planned settlement reflecting Mongol priorities: mobility, practicality, and command. Bilingual exhibitions trace trade routes connecting the capital to Europe via the Silk Road, transforming this steppe into a global crossroads in the 13th century.
Erdene Zuu, Mongolia's first Buddhist monastery founded in 1585 by Abatai Khan, rises on the very ruins of the ancient imperial capital. This superposition symbolizes the transition from Mongol temporal power to Tibetan spiritual authority. The fortified enclosure contained 108 stupas arranged in a defensive square, a unique structure in Central Asia protecting sacred relics. Partially destroyed during Stalin's purges of 1937-1941, the monastery has gradually revived since 1990, witnessing Mongol Buddhism's resurrection.
In the Orkhon River valley, the strategic waterway that supplied Karakorum with water and resources, you discover remains of organized encampments of soldiers, artisans, and envoys serving imperial ambitions. This steppe landscape enabled Mongol army mobility and organization of trade caravans converging on the capital. Karakorum's gradual abandonment after the capital's transfer to Beijing in the 14th century leaves these plains silent today, punctuated by buried foundations and pottery fragments.
Your mission concludes with revelation of Karakorum's paradox: how could a nomadic capital administer a sedentary empire? Collected clues reveal that Mongol strength resided in this assumed contradiction, blending traditional mobility with fixed administration. You leave with intimate understanding of a revolutionary political system that shaped Eurasia for two centuries, whose echoes still resonate in Ovorkhangai's steppes.
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 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?
Remnants of a Capital
Explore the ruins of ancient Karakorum, the beating heart of the largest land empire in history.
Harmony of Cultures
Discover how a cosmopolitan imperial center evolved into a Buddhist sanctuary of serenity.
Lost Imperial Manuscript
Reconstruct Ögödei Khan's secret plan for his capital, a design lost to the sands of time.
The past is never truly dead, it is merely transformed.
Reconstruct a lost imperial vision between ruins and monastery.
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
Explore the ruins of Karakorum, forgotten capital of the Mongol empire that ruled a third of the world in the 13th century.
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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