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"Locals dub this location the Bermuda Triangle of Transylvania," remarks a local guide, the air from his lungs forming clouds of mist in the crisp evening air. "So many individuals have gone missing here, some say it's a portal to another dimension." The guide is leading a guest on a evening stroll through commonly known as the globe's spookiest grove: Hoia-Baciu, a section spanning 640 acres of old-growth local woods on the edges of the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

Centuries of Mystery

Reports of unusual events here date back hundreds of years – this woodland is named after a regional herder who is reportedly went missing in the long ago, along with two hundred animals. But Hoia-Baciu gained international attention in 1968, when a military technician known as Emil Barnea photographed what he described as a UFO hovering above a oval meadow in the heart of the forest.

Countless ventured inside and vanished without trace. But rest assured," he adds, addressing his guest with a smirk. "Our tours have a perfect safety record."

In the decades since, Hoia-Baciu has attracted yogis, spiritual healers, ufologists and paranormal investigators from worldwide, interested in encountering the mysterious powers reported to reverberate through the forest.

Contemporary Dangers

Despite being one of the world's premier hotspots for paranormal enthusiasts, this woodland is at risk. The outlying areas of Cluj-Napoca – a modern tech hub of more than 400,000 people, described as the innovation center of eastern Europe – are advancing, and construction companies are pushing for approval to cut down the woods to construct residential buildings.

Barring a small area containing locally rare specific tree species, the forest is not officially protected, but Marius is confident that the company he was instrumental in creating – a dedicated preservation group – will contribute to improving the situation, motivating the authorities to appreciate the forest's value as a tourist attraction.

Spooky Experiences

When small sticks and seasonal debris split and rustle beneath their shoes, Marius tells numerous traditional stories and alleged ghostly incidents here.

• One famous story recounts a five-year-old girl disappearing during a family picnic, only to return five years later with complete amnesia of what had happened, without aging a moment, her garments lacking the slightest speck of dirt.
• Frequent accounts detail mobile phones and imaging devices mysteriously turning off on venturing inside.
• Reactions include absolute fear to feelings of joy.
• Some people state observing unusual marks on their skin, detecting ghostly voices through the trees, or experience hands grabbing them, despite being certain nobody is nearby.

Scientific Investigations

Although numerous of the tales may be hard to prove, numerous elements before my eyes that is certainly unusual. Everywhere you look are trees whose stems are curved and contorted into unusual forms.

Various suggestions have been proposed to clarify the deformed trees: powerful storms could have shaped the young trees, or inherently elevated electromagnetic fields in the soil cause their strange formation.

But formal examinations have found insufficient proof.

The Legendary Opening

The guide's tours permit guests to take part in a small-scale research of their own. When nearing the opening in the trees where Barnea captured his renowned UFO pictures, he gives the visitor an ghost-hunting device which registers EMF readings.

"We're entering the most powerful area of the forest," he comments. "Try to detect something."

The trees immediately cease as we emerge into a complete ring. The only greenery is the low vegetation beneath the ground; it's apparent that it's not maintained, and seems that this unusual opening is organic, not the work of landscaping.

The Blurred Line

Transylvania generally is a place which inspires creativity, where the division is indistinct between reality and legend. In traditional settlements superstition remains in strigoi ("screamers") – otherworldly, shapeshifting vampires, who rise from their graves to haunt local communities.

Bram Stoker's well-known fictional vampire is forever associated with Transylvania, and Bran Castle – an ancient structure perched on a cliff edge in the Carpathian Mountains – is heavily promoted as "Dracula's Castle".

But despite legend-filled Transylvania – actually, "the land past the woods" – feels solid and predictable versus these eerie woods, which appear to be, for causes related to radiation, atmospheric or purely mythical, a center for creative energy.

"In Hoia-Baciu," the guide says, "the line between reality and imagination is very thin."