Franschhoek — Decrypt the Huguenot Conspiracy
Uncover the hidden cipher left by French Huguenot refugees in 1688. Decode their secret messages scattered across Franschhoek's oldest estates to expose a centuries-old conspiracy buried in the vineyard soil.
📱 1 to 10 phones · 1 team per phone · Independent codes
In 1688, French Huguenot refugees fled religious persecution and arrived in the Cape, establishing Franschhoek—'French Corner'—as their sanctuary
Franschhoek — Decrypt the Huguenot Conspiracy
You are a Huguenot archivist in Franschhoek, 1900, dedicated to preserving your community’s history.
Your mission: decipher a forgotten conspiracy threatening your heritage. Your
Discover Franschhoek, in the heart of the Western Cape, and follow in the footsteps of the French Huguenots who, from the 17th century, shaped this South African land.
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
Your quest begins at the Huguenot Monument in Franschhoek, inaugurated on April 17, 1948. This monument commemorates the arrival of the Huguenots in South Africa and features a female figure symbolizing religious freedom, holding a Bible in her right hand and a broken chain in her left. Surrounded by majestic mountains, the site includes a wildflower garden, a restaurant, and an adjacent museum. It is here, in the heart of Franschhoek, that the first clues of the conspiracy await you, carved in stone.
Adjacent to the monument, the Huguenot Memorial Museum opens its doors. Dedicated to the history of the Huguenots, this museum displays antique artifacts and furniture imported by East India trading ships. You will also find objects related to Huguenot congregations and their agricultural methods, which were essential to the development of the Western Cape region. By exploring these collections, you will unearth fragments of the enigma, hidden among the relics of these pioneers.
Your journey continues along Main Road, Franschhoek's main street, lined with historic buildings dating from the 18th and 19th centuries. This artery, approximately 1.5 km long, is the heart of the heritage district, where shops, restaurants, and hotels bear witness to daily life since the arrival of the Huguenots. As you walk this street, you will decipher messages hidden on the facades, revealing the next steps of the plot that has spanned centuries in this town.
At the center of your exploration stands the Dutch Reformed Church, a historic church located on Main Road in Franschhoek. Built in the 19th century in the typical Cape Dutch style of the region, it is a central place in the historic district, surrounded by heritage buildings. Linked to the Huguenot and Afrikaner community of Franschhoek, this church holds secrets that shed light on the perseverance and faith of the refugees. The stained glass and woodwork contain crucial clues to advance your investigation.
After exploring the key sites of Franschhoek, your mission as a Huguenot archivist comes to an end. This Western Cape thematic circuit will have allowed you to reconstruct the thread of history, from persecution in France to the establishment of a new life in South Africa. You will carry away not only the satisfaction of having foiled a forgotten intrigue but also a deep understanding of the Huguenot heritage, their resilience, and their indelible contribution to the culture and agriculture of the region, especially viticulture. This interactive visit to Franschhoek will have etched the spirit of the builders of this heritage into your memory.
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 Cape's Red Gold
Discover how the Huguenots rooted their winemaking expertise in a new land.
The Spiritual Exile
Reconstruct the story of a flight for freedom of conscience and perseverance.
The Ancestral Plan
Assemble the fragments of an ancient document revealing the secrets of the first winemaking settlements.
The vine is our heritage, freedom our destiny.
A tribute to the Huguenots of Franschhoek
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.
Avis des aventuriers
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Your turn to play
Discover Franschhoek, in the heart of the Western Cape, and follow in the footsteps of the French Huguenots who, from the 17th century, shaped this South African land.
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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