The Hermits' Cipher — Uncover the Visigothic Secret of Duratón
Decipher the hidden codes left by three Visigothic hermit brothers in a 12th-century canyon sanctuary. Solve their cryptic legacy before the truth vanishes into the limestone cliffs.
📱 1 to 10 phones · 1 team per phone · Independent codes
In the 7th century, three brothers—San Frutos, San Agustín, and Santa Engracia—fled religious persecution and carved a secret refuge deep within the Duratón canyon
Uncover the mystery of the rock monks in the sacred Duratón gorges
In the 7th century, three brothers—San Frutos, San Agustín, and Santa Engracia—fled religious persecution and carved a secret refuge deep within the Duratón canyon. Legend says they left behind encoded messages in stone, hidden across their hermitage and the surrounding gorge, revealing a forbidden Visigothic doctrine that the Church tried to erase. Centuries later, their sanctuary crumbled into ruin, and the cipher was lost. Now, fragments of their mystery resurface: carved symbols in the Priory Cemetery, inscriptions on the hermitage walls, traces in the Bronze Age rock shelters, and clues scattered across the medieval bridges and shrines that dot the ravine. Your mission: follow the hermits' trail through 8 sacred sites, decrypt their stone-carved riddles, and expose the truth they died protecting—before the canyon's secrets are claimed by time and erosion.
A game, a guided tour and a city guide — all in one
You're not just buying an escape game. You're carrying a living city guide — historical anecdotes, forgotten legends, key monuments, hidden architecture — unfolding step by step as you walk.
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 Visigoths and the Rock Monks of Castile
After the fall of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century, the Iberian Peninsula was dominated by the Visigothic kingdom. This period was marked by profound religious and political transformations, notably the conversion of the Visigoths from Arian Christianity to Catholicism during the Third Council of Toledo in 589. Faced with uncertainties and conflicts, many Christians, inspired by the Desert Fathers, sought solitude and contemplation. The isolated valleys and limestone cliffs of Castile, such as those of the Duratón, offered natural refuges for these anchorites and small monastic communities, who carved hermitages and rock churches.
The arrival of the Umayyads in 711, which marked the end of the Visigothic kingdom, forced these communities into greater discretion, even oblivion. Their legacy, often oral or carved into rock, contained elements of pre-Romanesque spirituality, knowledge of medicinal plants, and unique interpretations of sacred texts. The 'Clavis Monachorum' is the name given to a set of symbols and practices that these monks are said to have bequeathed so that their wisdom would never be entirely lost, waiting to be rediscovered by curious and persistent minds.
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?
Breathtaking Exploration
Explore the magnificent landscapes of the Duratón Gorges, between dizzying cliffs and ancient remains.
Forgotten Wisdom
Untangle the threads of a 'Ritual Calendar' to reveal the spiritual secrets of the Visigothic monks.
Nature Encounter
Observe griffon vultures, masters of the Duratón skies, and feel the wild power of nature.
The rock whispers forgotten secrets...
Will you listen to the echo of the anchorite monks?
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, WhatsApp, 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
Soyez le premier à partager votre expérience.
Vous avez joué à les ermites oublies du duraton? Rendez-vous dans l'email reçu après votre partie pour laisser un avis vérifié.
Your turn to play
Decipher the rock signs, reconstruct the Ritual Calendar, and unravel the mystery of the 'Clavis Monachorum' to rediscover the wisdom of the Duratón hermits. A spiritual and historical quest awaits you.
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
Other escape games in Espagne
View Espagne→More destinations, tours & urban treasure hunts across the country
Explore other cities in Espagne
Segovia
The devil's aqueduct and Isabella's crown
Ávila
Medieval walls and Saint Teresa
Burgos
El Cid's cathedral and Camino gateway
Salamanca
The golden city and its university secrets
Toledo
Three cultures, a thousand secrets
Cuenca
Hanging houses and vertiginous gorges