Kimberley — Black Diamond's Shadow
Decipher the cursed trail of the Black Diamond, a shadowy gem that sparked murders and vanished fortunes during Kimberley's ruthless rush. Outwit the ghosts of greed to expose its final hiding place.
📱 1 to 10 phones · 1 team per phone · Independent codes
In 1871, the Big Hole District of Kimberley erupted into chaos with the discovery of the Eureka Diamond, igniting the world's greediest rush
Kimberley — Black Diamond's Shadow
You are Sir David Harris, a London geologist sent by the British government to Kimberley, South Africa, in 1905, tasked with assessing the region's remaining diamond reserves after the frantic rush
Dive into the heart of Kimberley, the city that built its destiny on the brilliance of diamonds, where the world's largest open-pit mine shaped a new Africa.
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
« Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. »— Cecil Rhodes
The story that haunts this land
Your quest begins at Kimberley's Big Hole, this gaping crater excavated between 1871 and 1914, reaching 215 meters deep and covering 17 hectares. It was here that 22.5 million tons of blue ground were extracted, yielding 14.5 million carats of diamonds, including the famous Star of South Africa in 1869. This site, declared a national monument in 1936 and listed on the UNESCO tentative list in 2012 as a Diamond Rush heritage site, offers from its observation deck a breathtaking view of the water-filled mine, a silent witness to the diamond rush's fervor that transformed the Northern Cape.
The Kimberley Mine Museum, opened in 1972 on the site of the former mine, preserves artifacts from the diamond period of 1870-1914. You will discover the 1880 mule trough, capable of holding 100,000 liters of water and watering 15,000 mules daily – a key infrastructure for massive extraction. The Kimberley Club exhibition, with its period objects related to Cecil Rhodes, and the replica of an 1873 cable drilling machine immerse you in the daily lives of Kimberley's miners and magnates.
Continue your investigation to The Diggers' Fountain in Market Square, erected in 1887 by prospectors to commemorate the discovery of diamonds. This fountain, adorned with a 4-meter sculpture of Cecil Rhodes, Barney Barnato, and other diamond figures, was the historical center of the diamond district. It was here that the Rudd-Concessions negotiations took place in 1888, and where the daily market, Kimberley's commercial heart, had thrived since 1870. This location is a central point of the Northern Cape heritage route.
Your journey then leads you to the Honoured Dead Memorial, a 20-meter-high monument designed by Sir Herbert Baker, inaugurated on February 19, 1925, by the Prince of Wales. This memorial honors the 126 British soldiers killed during the Siege of Kimberley (1899-1900) in the Boer War. It houses a captured Long Tom cannon and was Cecil Rhodes's headquarters during the siege, highlighting Kimberley's strategic role in South African history and its status as a Siege of Kimberley historic district, a National Heritage Site South Africa.
Your mission concludes at the Duggan-Cronin House, now the Africana Library, built in 1888 and converted into a library in 1920. Only 300 meters from the Big Hole, this former residence houses a collection of 20,000 volumes on South African history, including original diamond rush newspapers. It was the home of A.M. Duggan-Cronin, an anthropologist who documented the San between 1925 and 1955. Here, you compile your findings, understanding how every stone, every street in Kimberley, from the Big Hole UNESCO tentative list 2012 to the Kimberley Club, tells a part of this country's story, shaped by white gold and the men who sought it.
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 Golden Age of Diamonds
Dive into the heart of the greatest diamond rush in history, where colossal fortunes were built and landscapes forever transformed.
A Forgotten Ledger
Uncover a secret logbook, kept by a contemporary witness, revealing uncomfortable truths behind the sparkle of the gems.
Voices of the Oppressed
Explore the narrative of the exploitation of Black workers, whose hard labor fueled the diamond industry, yet whose story often remains silent.
Truth shines brighter than any diamond.
Untangle the threads of a hidden history.
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 the heart of Kimberley, the city that built its destiny on the brilliance of diamonds, where the world's largest open-pit mine shaped a new Africa.
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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