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"Locals dub this location the Bermuda Triangle of Transylvania," states an experienced guide, the air from his lungs creating clouds of mist in the crisp evening air. "Numerous individuals have gone missing here, many believe it's a portal to another dimension." The guide is escorting a traveler on a nocturnal tour through what is often described as the globe's spookiest grove: Hoia-Baciu, an area covering one square mile of old-growth local woods on the fringes of the Transylvanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

A Long History of the Unexplained

Reports of bizarre occurrences here extend back centuries – this woodland is titled for a area shepherd who is said to have vanished in the far-off times, along with his entire flock. But Hoia-Baciu came to international attention in 1968, when a defense worker known as Emil Barnea captured on film what he described as a flying saucer floating above a oval meadow in the middle of the forest.

Countless ventured inside and never came out. But don't worry," he states, turning to the visitor with a smirk. "Our guided walks have a perfect safety record."

In the decades since, Hoia-Baciu has brought in yoga practitioners, traditional medicine people, UFO researchers and paranormal investigators from around the globe, interested in encountering the unusual forces believed to resonate through the forest.

Contemporary Dangers

It may be a top global hotspots for paranormal enthusiasts, this woodland is under threat. The outlying areas of Cluj-Napoca – a contemporary technology center of over 400,000 residents, called the tech capital of Eastern Europe – are encroaching, and developers are pushing for approval to clear the trees to construct residential buildings.

Aside from a limited section containing locally rare specific tree species, this woodland is not officially protected, but Marius believes that the company he co-founded – a local conservation effort – will contribute to improving the situation, persuading the local administrators to acknowledge the forest's importance as a travel hotspot.

Chilling Events

As twigs and autumn leaves snap and crunch beneath their footwear, the guide recounts various local legends and reported ghostly incidents here.

• One famous story describes a little girl vanishing during a family outing, later to return five years later with no recollection of the events, without aging a single day, her attire shy of the smallest trace of dirt.
• Frequent accounts explain smartphones and imaging devices unexpectedly failing on stepping into the forest.
• Feelings range from complete terror to feelings of joy.
• Some people report observing unusual marks on their skin, hearing ghostly voices through the forest, or sense hands grabbing them, despite being convinced they're by themselves.

Scientific Investigations

Despite several of the accounts may be unverifiable, numerous elements before my eyes that is certainly unusual. All around are trees whose bases are warped and gnarled into fantastical shapes.

Multiple explanations have been proposed to explain the misshapen plants: strong gales could have shaped the young trees, or typically increased radiation levels in the soil explain their crooked growth.

But research studies have turned up inconclusive results.

The Famous Clearing

The guide's walks permit participants to take part in a modest investigation of their own. When nearing the clearing in the forest where Barnea captured his well-known UFO images, he hands the visitor an ghost-hunting device which registers EMF readings.

"We're stepping into the most energetic section of the forest," he comments. "Discover what's here."

The vegetation suddenly stop dead as the group enters into a complete ring. The single plant life is the short grass beneath our feet; it's apparent that it's naturally occurring, and appears that this bizarre meadow is organic, not the creation of landscaping.

Between Reality and Imagination

The broader region is a area which stirs the imagination, where the division is blurred between reality and legend. In countryside villages faith continues in strigoi ("screamers") – supernatural, shapeshifting vampires, who emerge from tombs to terrorise local communities.

Bram Stoker's famous vampire Count Dracula is always connected with Transylvania, and Bran Castle – a medieval building located on a stone formation in the Carpathian Mountains – is actively advertised as "the count's residence".

But even folklore-rich Transylvania – actually, "the place beyond the forest" – feels tangible and comprehensible compared to the haunted grove, which give the impression of being, for causes radioactive, climatic or purely mythical, a nexus for creative energy.

"Inside these woods," the guide says, "the line between fact and fiction is very thin."