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"They call this spot the Bermuda Triangle of Transylvania," remarks an experienced guide, the air from his lungs forming clouds of condensation in the crisp night air. "Countless individuals have disappeared here, it's thought it's an entrance to another dimension." This expert is leading a traveler on a nocturnal tour through what is often described as the world's most haunted woodland: Hoia-Baciu, a square mile of ancient indigenous forest on the edges of the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

A Long History of the Unexplained

Stories of strange happenings here extend back a long time – the grove is called after a local shepherd who is believed to have disappeared in the distant past, together with his entire flock. But Hoia-Baciu gained global recognition in 1968, when a defense worker called Emil Barnea captured on film what he reported as a flying saucer floating above a oval meadow in the heart of the forest.

Many came in here and failed to return. But don't worry," he states, facing his guest with a smile. "Our excursions have a flawless completion rate."

In the time after, Hoia-Baciu has drawn yoga practitioners, traditional medicine people, UFO researchers and supernatural researchers from worldwide, curious to experience the unusual forces said to echo through the forest.

Current Risks

Although it is among the planet's leading destinations for lovers of the paranormal, the forest is at risk. The western suburbs of Cluj-Napoca – an innovative digital cluster of more than 400,000 people, called the tech capital of Eastern Europe – are advancing, and real estate firms are advocating for authorization to clear the trees to erect housing complexes.

Barring a few hectares home to regionally uncommon oak varieties, the forest is not officially protected, but Marius believes that the organization he helped establish – a dedicated preservation group – will contribute to improving the situation, motivating the authorities to acknowledge the forest's significance as a travel hotspot.

Spooky Experiences

While branches and autumn leaves snap and crunch beneath their boots, the guide recounts various folk tales and claimed supernatural events here.

• One famous story recounts a five-year-old girl disappearing during a family picnic, later to reappear five years later with no memory of her experience, without aging a day, her clothes shy of the slightest speck of dust.
• Regular stories describe cellphones and imaging devices mysteriously turning off on entering the woods.
• Emotional responses vary from absolute fear to feelings of joy.
• Certain individuals claim noticing strange rashes on their arms, perceiving disembodied whispers through the woodland, or sense palms pushing them, despite being convinced they're by themselves.

Research Efforts

Although numerous of the stories may be hard to prove, numerous elements before my eyes that is definitely bizarre. Throughout the area are plants whose stems are curved and contorted into unusual forms.

Different theories have been proposed to clarify the misshapen plants: strong gales could have altered the growth, or typically increased electromagnetic fields in the ground account for their unusual development.

But formal examinations have found inconclusive results.

The Famous Clearing

The guide's excursions enable visitors to take part in a modest investigation of their own. Upon reaching the meadow in the trees where Barnea photographed his renowned UFO pictures, he hands the visitor an electromagnetic field detector which registers energy patterns.

"We're venturing into the most active area of the forest," he says. "Discover what's here."

The vegetation abruptly end as they step into a perfect circle. The single plant life is the short grass beneath the ground; it's clear that it's not maintained, and looks that this strange clearing is natural, not the creation of human hands.

Between Reality and Imagination

This part of Romania is a location which inspires creativity, where the line is blurred between fact and folklore. In traditional settlements belief persists in strigoi ("screamers") – supernatural, shapeshifting creatures, who rise from their graves to terrorise nearby villages.

The novelist's renowned character Dracula is permanently linked with Transylvania, and the historic stronghold – a medieval building situated on a rocky outcrop in the Transylvanian Alps – is heavily promoted as "the count's residence".

But despite folklore-rich Transylvania – actually, "the territory after the grove" – appears real and understandable in contrast to the haunted grove, which give the impression of being, for causes radioactive, environmental or purely mythical, a center for human imaginative power.

"Inside these woods," Marius states, "the line between truth and fantasy is remarkably blurred."