The Caves of Ariège
From prehistoric bison to the Cathars
📱 1 to 10 phones · 1 team per phone · Independent codes
The Grotte de Niaux contains 14,000-year-old bison paintings. The Counts of Foix protected the Cathars from their three-towered castle. The Ariège is a land of caves, mysteries, and resistance — from Prehistory to the Middle Ages.
14,000 years of mysteries beneath the Pyrenean mountains
The Château de Foix, with its three towers overlooking the confluence of the Ariège and Arget rivers, is one of the most spectacular in the Pyrenees. The Counts of Foix — including the legendary Gaston Fébus — were among the fiercest protectors of the Cathars. But the Ariège hides much older mysteries: the Grotte de Niaux, with its Black Salon adorned with bison, horses, and ibex painted 14,000 years ago, is one of Europe's most important prehistoric sanctuaries.
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.
« "I am Fébus! No king, prince, duke, or count shall touch me!" »— — Gaston III of Foix-Béarn, known as Gaston Fébus (1331-1391)
The Ariège — land of caves and resistance
The Ariège is a department of mountains and caves. The Grotte de Niaux, discovered in 1906, contains the Black Salon — a natural chamber adorned with 14,000-year-old Magdalenian paintings. Bison, horses, and ibex were painted with a mastery rivaling Lascaux. Prehistoric people ventured more than a kilometer underground to create this sanctuary — why?
Ten thousand years later, the Château de Foix became the bastion of the Counts of Foix, one of the most powerful dynasties of the South. Gaston Fébus (1331-1391), legendary figure and author of the "Book of the Hunt," ruled a territory stretching from the Pyrenees to Béarn. The counts protected the Cathars, resisted the crusade, and defied the King of France from their three impregnable towers.
The underground river of Labouiche, navigable for 1.5 km, is the longest underground river open to the public in Europe. The Ariège is a land of underground worlds — caves served as refuge for Prehistoric peoples, Cathars, and Resistance fighters. An invisible thread connects the bison of Niaux to the Parfaits of Montségur: the mountain protects those who hide within it.
The Route
5 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?
Impregnable castle
The three-towered castle that was never taken — bastion of the Counts of Foix.
Prehistoric art
The bison of Niaux — 14,000 years of cave art to discover.
Underground river
Navigate underground on Europe's longest underground river open to the public.
Pyrenean forges
Pyrenean iron — the secret of the Counts of Foix's power.
The mountain protects those who hide within — for 14,000 years.
From the bison of Niaux to the Cathars of Montségur, the Ariège guards its secrets.
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
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Your turn to play
From the three-towered castle to the underground river, from the forges to the caves — cross 14,000 years of mysteries in an escape game at the heart of the Ariège Pyrenees.
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
🪙+15 TripCoins granted with your booking
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