The Shadows of Altamira
From the medieval village to the Sistine Chapel of Prehistory
📱 1 to 10 phones · 1 team per phone · Independent codes
In 1879, a hunter's daughter looked up in a cave and saw bison painted 15,000 years ago. Nobody believed her. The village guarding that cave has barely changed since the Middle Ages.
Cantabria's finest lie: Santillana is neither holy, nor flat, nor by the sea
Jean-Paul Sartre called it "the prettiest village in Spain". Its most famous saying claims it is neither holy (santa), nor flat (llana), nor coastal (del mar). This golden-stone village, frozen between its emblazoned palaces and Romanesque collegiate church, is the unwitting guardian of Europe's greatest prehistoric treasure: the cave of Altamira.
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
« "Look papa, oxen!" — that's how an eight-year-old girl rediscovered humanity's oldest art. »— — María Sanz de Sautuola, 1879, in the cave of Altamira
From Prehistory to the Middle Ages: 15,000 years in one village
Fifteen thousand years ago, Magdalenian artists painted bison, horses and deer of stunning realism on a cave ceiling. They used red ochre, charcoal and the rock's natural contours to give volume to their figures. Then a rockfall sealed the entrance for millennia.
In 1879, Marcelino Sanz de Sautuola was exploring the cave with his eight-year-old daughter María. She was the one who, raising her lamp, spotted the polychrome bison on the ceiling. Sautuola published his discovery, but the scientific community accused him of fraud. He died in 1888 without recognition. It took until 1902 for the experts to apologise.
The village of Santillana already existed in the 9th century around a monastery dedicated to Saint Juliana. Its 12th-century Romanesque collegiate church, fortified towers and Renaissance palaces form an intact medieval setting. The contrast between this time-frozen village and cave art 150 centuries old creates a unique experience.
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?
15,000 years of art
From Romanesque capitals to Altamira's bison, a unique artistic journey.
Intact village
Santillana hasn't changed in five centuries. Its cobbled streets are the perfect setting.
Science & mystery
Relive the 1879 controversy: fraud or genius? The game puts you in the shoes of the experts.
Cantabrian nature
The path to Altamira crosses Cantabrian countryside meadows and oaks.
15,000 years separate the first artist from the last visitor. Zero seconds to be amazed.
From the Romanesque collegiate church to the Sistine Chapel of Prehistory.
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 ombres daltamira? Rendez-vous dans l'email reçu après votre partie pour laisser un avis vérifié.
Your turn to play
Nowhere else in Europe can you solve an investigation in an intact medieval village in the morning, then read 14,000-year-old bison paintings in the afternoon. Santillana del Mar awaits — no prior booking needed.
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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