Altun Ha — Secret of the Jade Head
Uncover the mystery of the stolen Jade Head of Kinich Ahau, the largest Maya jade ever found. Decode ancient clues across temples to reveal who took it from the sacred tomb and why.
📱 1 to 10 phones · 1 team per phone · Independent codes
In the heart of Altun Ha, the ancient Maya city that thrived from 250 BC to AD 1000, a shocking discovery shook the ceremonial center
Altun Ha — Secret of the Jade Head
You are David Pendergast, a Canadian archaeologist on a critical mission in the ruins of Altun Ha, Belize, in 1968.
Your investigation begins at this Maya archaeological site
Follow the trail of the largest Maya jade head ever discovered, hidden in the temples of Altun Ha for 1,500 years.
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
Altun Ha welcomes you through its visitor center, gateway to one of the most important archaeological discoveries in Belize District. This Maya site, whose name means "Stone Water" in Yucatec Maya, was inhabited for nearly 2,000 years, from the Middle Preclassic around 1000 BC to the Postclassic around 900 AD. Excavations led by David Pendergast from 1967 to 1974 revealed 13 restored structures out of more than 500 swallowed by the jungle, testifying to a population estimated at 10,000 inhabitants at the height of its prosperity.
Plaza A opens before you as the ceremonial heart of this Maya merchant city. This central plaza, surrounded by perfectly restored structures, served as theater for the most sacred rituals dedicated to Kinich Ahau, the sun god. Here converged the trade routes that connected Altun Ha to great Maya metropolises like Tikal and Caracol, making this site a major economic crossroads of the pre-Columbian world. The stones you walk on carried the steps of priests, merchants and nobles for centuries.
Structure A-1, Temple of the Sun God, rises its 30 meters high before you as the most impressive Maya pyramid of Altun Ha. It was in the adjacent Chamber B-3 that David Pendergast discovered in 1965 the treasure that would revolutionize Maya archaeology: the largest jade head ever found, measuring about 11 cm and weighing nearly 5 kg. This sculpture, representing Kinich Ahau, testifies to the artistic mastery of Maya craftsmen and the spiritual importance of this site in the heart of Belize District.
Plaza B leads you to the residences of Maya elites, connected to Plaza A by paved roads that structured urban life in Altun Ha. Structure B-4, residential temple excavated during Pendergast's digs, offers panoramic views of adjacent plazas from its accessible heights. This second main plaza was the scene of major ritual discoveries, including numerous jade artifacts that confirm the status of major ceremonial center of this Classic Maya city between 250 and 900 AD.
Your exploration of Altun Ha concludes at the Maya artificial reservoir, a masterpiece of hydraulic engineering that sustained this metropolis of 10,000 inhabitants. Built during the Classic period, this water management system illustrates the technical sophistication of the Maya in adapting to their tropical environment. Leaving these ruins of Belize District, you take away the understanding of a civilization that mastered art, astronomy and urbanism a thousand years before the arrival of Europeans, and whose jade head of Kinich Ahau remains the most precious testimony.
The Route
8 sites to explore by car within the day
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 · 14,90€No calendar booking. Code sent immediately by email.
🔒 Secure payment · Code in 5 min · Free cancellation
Practical info
Why this route?
Maya Mysteries
Unravel the secrets of an ancient civilization and its sun gods.
Heart of the Jungle
Explore majestic ruins immersed in lush nature.
Archaeological Quest
Follow in the footsteps of archaeologists for a fascinating discovery.
Dive into the heart of Altun Ha and decipher the messages of time.
The Jade Head awaits to reveal its ultimate secret.
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
Follow the trail of the largest Maya jade head ever discovered, hidden in the temples of Altun Ha for 1,500 years.
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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