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"People refer to this spot the Bermuda Triangle of Transylvania," remarks a local guide, his exhalation forming puffs of vapor in the crisp dusk atmosphere. "Numerous individuals have disappeared here, it's thought it's a portal to another dimension." This expert is leading a guest on a nocturnal tour through what is often described as the globe's spookiest woodland: Hoia-Baciu, an area covering one square mile of old-growth indigenous forest on the edges of the metropolis of Cluj-Napoca.

Centuries of Mystery

Stories of bizarre occurrences here extend back hundreds of years – the grove is named after a regional herder who is reportedly went missing in the distant past, accompanied by two hundred animals. But Hoia-Baciu gained international attention in 1968, when a defense worker known as Emil Barnea took a picture of what he claimed was a UFO suspended above a circular clearing in the heart of the forest.

Numerous entered this place and failed to return. But don't worry," he adds, addressing the traveler with a grin. "Our guided walks have a 100% return rate."

In the decades since, Hoia-Baciu has brought in yogis, shamans, ufologists and ghost hunters from around the globe, interested in encountering the strange energies reported to reverberate through the forest.

Modern Threats

Although it is among the planet's leading destinations for lovers of the paranormal, the forest is under threat. The outlying areas of Cluj-Napoca – a modern tech hub of more than 400,000 people, known as the innovation center of the region – are expanding, and real estate firms are pushing for permission to clear the trees to erect housing complexes.

Aside from a few hectares home to regionally uncommon Mediterranean oak trees, this woodland is not officially protected, but Marius believes that the organization he co-founded – the Hoia-Baciu Project – will help to change that, persuading the government officials to acknowledge the forest's significance as a visitor destination.

Chilling Events

When small sticks and fall foliage break and crackle beneath their shoes, Marius tells some of the traditional stories and reported supernatural events here.

• One famous story describes a young child vanishing during a family outing, only to rematerialise after five years with no recollection of what had happened, having not aged a moment, her garments without the tiniest bit of soil.
• Regular stories explain cellphones and photography gear unexpectedly failing on stepping into the forest.
• Feelings include absolute fear to moments of euphoria.
• Certain individuals claim seeing bizarre skin irritations on their skin, perceiving unseen murmurs through the trees, or experience hands grabbing them, despite being sure they are alone.

Study Attempts

Despite several of the accounts may be unverifiable, numerous elements clearly observable that is undeniably strange. Everywhere you look are vegetation whose stems are warped and gnarled into unusual forms.

Various suggestions have been given to clarify the abnormal growth: strong gales could have altered the growth, or typically increased radiation levels in the ground cause their strange formation.

But scientific investigations have discovered no satisfactory evidence.

The Notorious Meadow

The expert's walks allow participants to take part in a little scientific inquiry of their own. As we approach the opening in the trees where Barnea photographed his famous UFO images, he hands the visitor an ghost-hunting device which registers electromagnetic fields.

"We're venturing into the most powerful area of the forest," he comments. "See what you can find."

The plants suddenly stop dead as the group enters into a perfect circle. The single plant life is the low vegetation beneath our feet; it's clear that it's not maintained, and seems that this bizarre meadow is wild, not the creation of human hands.

The Blurred Line

Transylvania generally is a area which inspires creativity, where the division is unclear between fact and folklore. In countryside villages superstition remains in strigoi ("screamers") – otherworldly, appearance-altering bloodsuckers, who rise from their graves to haunt regional populations.

The novelist's renowned vampire Count Dracula is permanently linked with Transylvania, and the historic stronghold – a medieval building perched on a cliff edge in the Carpathian Mountains – is actively advertised as "Dracula's Castle".

But including myth-shrouded Transylvania – actually, "the place beyond the forest" – seems solid and predictable compared to the haunted grove, which appear to be, for causes nuclear, climatic or purely mythical, a center for fantasy projection.

"Inside these woods," the guide states, "the boundary between reality and imagination is very thin."