Manrique's Volcano
César Manrique, the artist who turned lava into art
📱 1 to 10 phones · 1 team per phone · Independent codes
In 1968, César Manrique returned to Lanzarote to stop concrete from devouring his island. He built his home in five volcanic bubbles, turned caves into auditoriums and imposed an aesthetic law that still protects the landscape. His works hide a testament no one has fully deciphered.
Where lava and art become one
César Manrique (1919-1992) was not merely an artist. He was the man who convinced an entire island to refuse hotels over two storeys, billboards and exposed concrete. His Fundación César Manrique, housed in his first home at Taro de Tahíche — built on a 1730 lava flow with living spaces in five natural volcanic bubbles — is an inhabited manifesto. The Jameos del Agua, a lava tunnel transformed into an auditorium and tropical garden, and the Mirador del Río, a belvedere carved into the cliff facing La Graciosa, are his landscape masterpieces.
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.
« "The greatest art is that which nature has already begun. The artist need only know when to stop." »— — In the main volcanic bubble of the Fundación Manrique
Manrique versus concrete: the battle for Lanzarote
The Timanfaya eruptions between 1730 and 1736 covered a quarter of Lanzarote in lava, destroying dozens of villages and transforming the landscape forever. This black lava field, the Montañas del Fuego, became the island's symbol — and the backdrop to Manrique's work.
After years in New York rubbing shoulders with Warhol and abstract expressionism, Manrique returned in 1968 to find an island threatened by emerging mass tourism. He persuaded the Cabildo president, José Ramírez, to adopt laws banning buildings over two storeys, billboards and metal fences. Lanzarote remained white, low and volcanic.
His seven "Art, Culture and Tourism Centres" — Jameos del Agua, Cueva de los Verdes, Mirador del Río, Jardín de Cactus, Fundación, Castillo de San José and Montañas del Fuego — are minimal interventions in the volcanic landscape. Manrique died in a car accident in 1992, but his aesthetic law survives. Lanzarote was declared a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1993.
The Route
4 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?
Art & volcano
Manrique turned lava into architecture — every stage is an inhabited work of art.
Invisible architecture
Manrique's buildings blend into the landscape — you have to search to find them.
Unique fauna
The blind albino crabs of Jameos del Agua exist nowhere else on Earth.
Biosphere Reserve
Thanks to Manrique, Lanzarote is the first island entirely classified as a UNESCO Reserve.
One artist. One volcano. An island saved from concrete.
Dive into Manrique's volcanic bubbles and decipher his artistic testament.
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
Manrique lived in lava bubbles, turned caves into concert halls and had his entire island listed as a Biosphere Reserve. His artistic testament is hidden across his works — and you're the one who's going to read it.
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
🪙+12 TripCoins granted with your booking
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