Xanadu's Riddle — Uncover du Pont's Hidden Fortune
Decipher the coded clues left behind in Irénée du Pont's palatial estate and uncover the location of a fortune hidden during Prohibition's golden age—before rival industrialists claim it.
📱 1 to 10 phones · 1 team per phone · Independent codes
In 1928, French-American millionaire Irénée du Pont built Xanadu, a three-story stone mansion perched on the Peñón de San Bernardino, overlooking Varadero's pristine beaches
Xanadu's Riddle — Uncover du Pont's Hidden Fortune
You are a private detective, recently hired by the heirs of Irénée du Pont de Nemours to investigate the peculiar circumstances surrounding his final days in Varadero.
Your mission: uncover clues left
Uncover Varadero's opulent past by following in the footsteps of industrialist Irénée du Pont de Nemours and his hidden fortune, concealed in the heart of the Caribbean.
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
The story that haunts this land
Your quest for du Pont's hidden fortune begins in the Gardens of Mansión Xanadú, in Varadero. This four-story mansion, designed by architects Covarrocas and Govantes, was built in 1928 for Irénée du Pont de Nemours. With its 11 bedrooms, 3 terraces, and 7 balconies, Mansión Xanadú is a historical monument reflecting its builder's dream, inspired by Kublai Khan's palace described by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. The 512-hectare estate, acquired in 1929, even included a private dock and is now a high-end hotel adjacent to the 18-hole Varadero Golf Club. Discovering this Varadero historical heritage is the first key to your investigation.
From Mansión Xanadú, your route takes you to Playa de Varadero, a 20 km long white sand beach directly bordering the estate. In 1929, du Pont had an unobstructed view of the turquoise Caribbean waters from his property. It is here, at this major tourist site in Varadero, Matanzas, that the sea breeze might whisper secrets of the past. The beach, once the preserve of the industrialist, is now a place accessible to all, but the clues of his presence are still there, etched into the landscape of Varadero.
Moving away from the beach, you reach Parque Josone, a peaceful haven created in the 1940s. These lush gardens of Varadero, spanning approximately 3 km² in the central area, are home to lakes, bridges, and tropical vegetation. This public park, mentioned as an emblematic location near Mansión Xanadú, offers a serene break in your Varadero scavenger hunt. It was undoubtedly a favorite strolling spot for the du Ponts, a place where one could ponder the value of land acquired at 4 cents per square meter, whose value significantly increased thanks to 1930s infrastructure.
Your itinerary then leads you to more urban, yet equally relevant, points of interest in Varadero's history. The Iglesia de Santa Elvira, built in 1928, is a historic church in central Varadero, near the pedestrian route. Although not directly on du Pont's estate, it represents the city's development during the same period as the construction of Mansión Xanadú. The du Ponts, influential figures on the island, undoubtedly observed local life, and this church testifies to the community's roots in the early 20th century, an essential element for understanding the context of Matanzas' fortune.
This Matanzas thematic circuit allows you to piece together the puzzle of du Pont's legacy. From the Varadero Golf Club, built on his former 1328-hectare estate, to the Mesón del Quijote, located next to the small water castle resembling a Spanish fort, each site brings you closer to the truth. You have explored Varadero's historical heritage, discovered Mansión Xanadú Historical Monument and the 18-hole Varadero Golf. This interactive Varadero visit offers a deep understanding of Irénée du Pont's impact on this Cuban city, a man whose vision shaped the local landscape and economy for decades to come.
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.
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Practical info
Why this route?
The Recovered Journal
Reconstruct the scattered fragments of Irénée du Pont's personal journal, revealing his most secret thoughts and activities in Varadero.
The Prohibition Era
Dive into the Roaring Twenties atmosphere, where Varadero was a haven for Americans seeking pleasures forbidden by law.
The Magnates' Opulence
Explore the iconic sites of American wealth in Varadero, from lavish villas to exclusive golf clubs.
The past is never truly buried, especially when it's written.
Uncover the secrets of a forgotten empire in Varadero.
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
Uncover Varadero's opulent past by following in the footsteps of industrialist Irénée du Pont de Nemours and his hidden fortune, concealed in the heart of the Caribbean.
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
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