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"They call this location the Bermuda Triangle of Transylvania," explains an experienced guide, the air from his lungs creating wisps of mist in the crisp evening air. "Countless people have vanished here, it's thought it's a portal to another dimension." Marius is guiding a traveler on a nocturnal tour through what is often described as the world's most haunted grove: Hoia-Baciu, a square mile of ancient native woodland on the edges of the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

A Long History of the Unexplained

Accounts of bizarre occurrences here date back a long time – the grove is titled for a regional herder who is believed to have disappeared in the far-off times, together with his entire flock. But Hoia-Baciu came to international attention in 1968, when an army specialist known as Emil Barnea took a picture of what he claimed was a flying saucer suspended above a round opening in the middle of the forest.

Numerous entered this place and vanished without trace. But no need to fear," he states, addressing the visitor with a smirk. "Our excursions have a 100% return rate."

In the years that followed, Hoia-Baciu has attracted yoga practitioners, shamans, UFO researchers and paranormal investigators from around the globe, curious to experience the mysterious powers said to echo through the forest.

Contemporary Dangers

Despite being a top global pilgrimage sites for lovers of the paranormal, this woodland is under threat. The western suburbs of Cluj-Napoca – an innovative digital cluster of a population exceeding 400,000, called the innovation center of the region – are advancing, and developers are pushing for authorization to clear the trees to construct residential buildings.

Aside from a limited section housing locally rare Mediterranean oak trees, the forest is without conservation status, but Marius hopes that the organization he was instrumental in creating – a dedicated preservation group – will assist in altering this, motivating the local administrators to recognise the forest's value as a visitor destination.

Spooky Experiences

As twigs and autumn leaves snap and crunch beneath their boots, Marius describes numerous folk tales and claimed ghostly incidents here.

• One famous story tells of a little girl disappearing during a family outing, then to rematerialise half a decade later with no memory of the events, having not aged a day, her garments lacking the tiniest bit of dirt.
• Regular stories explain cellphones and camera equipment inexplicably shutting down on stepping into the forest.
• Feelings include absolute fear to feelings of joy.
• Some people report seeing strange rashes on their skin, hearing unseen murmurs through the trees, or feel hands grabbing them, despite being convinced they're by themselves.

Scientific Investigations

Despite several of the accounts may be hard to prove, there are many things clearly observable that is definitely bizarre. Everywhere you look are plants whose stems are warped and gnarled into unusual forms.

Different theories have been suggested to explain the deformed trees: powerful storms could have bent the saplings, or inherently elevated electromagnetic fields in the soil cause their crooked growth.

But scientific investigations have discovered insufficient proof.

The Notorious Meadow

The expert's excursions allow participants to participate in a little scientific inquiry of their own. As we approach the meadow in the trees where Barnea took his well-known UFO photographs, he gives his guest an ghost-hunting device which registers electromagnetic fields.

"We're entering the most energetic part of the forest," he comments. "Discover what's here."

The vegetation suddenly stop dead as they step into a flawless round. The single plant life is the short grass beneath our feet; it's obvious that it's not maintained, and looks that this strange clearing is wild, not the result of people.

Fact Versus Fiction

The broader region is a place which fuels fantasy, where the border is unclear between truth and myth. In traditional settlements faith continues in strigoi ("screamers") – supernatural, appearance-altering creatures, who return from burial sites to frighten nearby villages.

The famous author's well-known character Dracula is permanently linked with Transylvania, and Bran Castle – a medieval building situated on a stone formation in the Transylvanian Alps – is heavily promoted as "Dracula's Castle".

But even myth-shrouded Transylvania – truly, "the land past the woods" – seems solid and predictable versus these eerie woods, which give the impression of being, for reasons radioactive, atmospheric or entirely legendary, a center for creative energy.

"Inside these woods," Marius says, "the boundary between fact and fiction is remarkably blurred."