The Gnaoua Cipher — Essaouira Medina
Decipher the hidden codes woven into Essaouira's sacred Gnaoua sites. Uncover the spiritual lineage and trade secrets guarded by the masters for centuries.
📱 1 to 10 phones · 1 team per phone · Independent codes
In the walled Medina of Essaouira, the Gnaoua masters have protected an ancient cipher for over three centuries—a map of spiritual knowledge passed down from West African ancestors brought to Morocco
The Gnaoua Cipher — Essaouira Medina
You are a royal ethnographer, dispatched by Sultan Mohammed III in 1765, to document Essaouira's mystical traditions.
Your mission begins in Place Moulay Hassan,
Dive into Essaouira's ochre alleys, an 18th-century port city, and unlock the ancient secrets of the Gnaoua brotherhood.
The story that haunts this land
Your quest for the secret of the Gnaoua Masters begins in Place Moulay Hassan, named in honor of the Alaouite Sultan Moulay Hassan I. Built in the 18th century during Essaouira's founding by Mohammed III, this square served as a market and public gathering place. Surrounded by cafes and buildings with ochre arcades typical of Portuguese-influenced architecture, it is the medina's nerve center, immediately adjacent to the Skala de la Kasbah. Here, in the heart of Essaouira, the first puzzles plunge you into the Marrakech-Safi heritage.
Continue towards the Skala du Port, a 300-meter cannon battery erected in 1767 by Sultan Mohammed III to defend Essaouira's port against European incursions. Equipped with 24 Spanish and French cannons from the 18th century and restored in 2001, this fortification offers panoramic views of the Atlantic Ocean and the fishing port. It is an emblem of the UNESCO city, and its stones tell the maritime challenges of the Alaouite kingdom, a crucial step in your Marrakech-Safi thematic circuit.
The path then leads you to the Skala de la Kasbah, fortified ramparts stretching 1 km erected in 1760 under Mohammed III, with machicolations and bastions. This defensive structure, designed by the French engineer Théodore Cornut, protected the royal Kasbah. Direct access from Place Moulay Hassan, less than 200 m on foot, allows you to follow the footsteps of the French engineer. The Atlantic sea winds here whisper the legends of the 18th-century Essaouira Kasbah, an essential historical site of your Essaouira visit.
Exploring the medina, you pass through Bab Sbaâ, the monumental gate built in 1769, 7 meters high with its semicircular arch and zellige motifs. Named 'Gate of Gates', it was the main entrance from the port to the Kasbah. Restored in 2010 as part of the UNESCO preservation program, this gate is a testament to Essaouira's history. Clues hidden on its ornaments bring you closer to the mysteries of Essaouira's Mellah, a historic Jewish quarter founded in the 18th century by Mohammed III.
Your exploration of the Marrakech-Safi heritage culminates at the Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdallah Museum, housed in a former Kasbah palace built around 1760. Its collections of 18th-century Moroccan art, including Berber jewelry and traditional Gnaoua costumes, immerse you in local culture. After visiting the Zaouïa Sidi Bilal, a Sufi sanctuary linked to the Gnaoua brotherhood, and the Marché aux Grains, a former market hall from 1882, you will have traced the history of Essaouira, from its maritime defenses to its spiritual traditions. This walk offers you a deep understanding of the city's cultural richness, from the monuments of Marrakech-Safi to its ancestral rituals.
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?
Gnaoua Rhythms
Immerse yourself in the mystical world of Gnaoua music, an echo of Sub-Saharan cultures and the resilience of a people.
Gold Routes
Explore the remnants of the trans-Saharan trade that brought wealth to Essaouira and shaped its history.
Hidden Heritage
Uncover the secret of a lost document, a testament to the wisdom and survival of a unique community.
The secrets of Essaouira's black gold are waiting to be revealed.
Between Gnaoua legends and commercial epic, decipher a forgotten heritage.
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
Dive into Essaouira's ochre alleys, an 18th-century port city, and unlock the ancient secrets of the Gnaoua brotherhood.
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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