Tèrra Aventura in the Basque Country: a life-size treasure hunt

 

In the footsteps of the Poï'z, funny little characters

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The treasure hunt of the 21st century

No need to bring a telescope or a parrot to go in search of the hidden treasure. A simple smartphone is enough. After downloading the free Tèrra Aventura application and creating your personal account, choose the quest that appeals to you, and go on the trail of clues that await your informed eye... Tèrra Aventura offers treasure hunts adapted to families for over 10 years. There are more than 400 courses throughout the Nouvelle Aquitaine region. The quests are well written and detailed enough for the smartest minds of the youngest, over 75% of users are under 11 and play with family! Tèrra Aventura is not the only way to do Geocaching, you can also download other applications, with routes and " caches " (places where things to find are located and which are put by players), which sometimes contain small items inside. Geocaching is an activity, a hobby, which arouses a lot of enthusiasm. Players of all ages can be real fans and make it a way of life: going on vacation according to specific quests, organizing their weekends around several caches to find, making teams… It's fun, interactive and interesting because the routes are often original and sometimes offer fascinating historical, cultural or landscape information!

The nose on the mobile phone to discover the instructions, and the eyes riveted on the landscapes to seek the answers

Thanks to the GPS of your mobile phone and the enigmas of Tèrra Aventura, told by the Poï'z - these little creatures protecting their incredible secret - you progress from stage to stage, until reaching the ultimate goal : the GPS coordinates which offer access to the cache. Once the latter is found, explorers can take a badge to collect, read the mystery word, and write a few lines about their experience in the notebook left for this purpose.

Currently, due to the health crisis, there are no more badges to collect, but a QR code to flash.

You will see it for yourself : the Poï'z have a sense of humor and love to play with words! They will bring you surprising information and anecdotes about certain places, buildings or inhabitants. It is instructive and it is easy to get into the game, while contemplating the environment!

 

Observe, examine, be intrigued and surprised

The equation is simple and effective: instruction + observation + response = successful experience!

Tèrra Aventura in Bidart

Welcome to Bidart ! Ongietorri !

For the Bayonne-Anglet-Biarritz (BAB) region alone, there are three possible routes and in Bidart, you have the choice between two quests. We tested the one called " The Hard of the Atlantic ", Which leaves from the Bidart wash house car park.

The pretty main square of Bidart

The town hall of Bidart, a typical Basque building

This adventure is placed under the sign of History and more precisely of the 39-45 war. Through the dialogues between the Poï'z, you learn what the Basque soldiers were called, that the Germans had taken over the coast, and that some buildings had a double life...

 

The Memorial : an unusual place, unknown to tourists and overlooking the sea. This place invites reflection and appeasement.

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Once at the meeting point, all you have to do is click on " Start ". Then, let yourself be carried away by the humorous interventions of Zonelib and Zéidon who accompany you from stage to stage. But be careful, stay the course! Fortunately, everything is planned so as not to get lost or go in the wrong direction : the GPS map directs you very precisely. The departure takes place close to the heart of the village. We learn to look up, to scrutinize the buildings, their peculiarities to answer the questions asked by the Poï'z.

 

The authenticity of downtown Bidart : its white walls, red woodwork and pediment

Without even noticing it, we move away from the urban area and the sublime Basque houses, to get closer to nature and the ocean. The panoramic views of the Atlantic follow one another.

 

 

The views are different, but you still dominate the ocean

Sometimes the course takes us to the beach, our feet in the sand. A few minutes later, here we are on the cliffs.

Below, the beach and the waves

Take advantage of the present moment, the sun and feel " out of time "

Walk in the sand for a while, before a change of scenery

When sea and mountain merge

This beautiful walk takes us off the beaten track, tourist and busy corners. The geocacher learns about the local heritage, in an original way!

Discreet passage where the trees intertwine

The application informs you of the difficulty, the number of kilometers, and it gives you an indicative time. But the game is not limited in time. So, do not hesitate to take breaks to take a few photos, or quite simply to take advantage of a bench to contemplate the waves which break and the surfers who set off to conquer them. You can also plan a picnic in a green area, or, why not, a snack on the beach.

Did you enjoy your quest? Think about making others and motivate the children to join you, it's a great opportunity to make them walk… Tèrra Aventura is available in 12 departments of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region.

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Article and photos prepared by Charline Prodhomme

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