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"Locals dub this place the Bermuda Triangle of Transylvania," remarks an experienced guide, his exhalation creating puffs of vapor in the chilly night air. "Countless visitors have disappeared here, many believe there's a gateway to a different realm." This expert is guiding a guest on a nocturnal tour through frequently labeled as the world's most haunted forest: Hoia-Baciu, a square mile of old-growth native woodland on the fringes of the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

A Long History of the Unexplained

Accounts of strange happenings here extend back hundreds of years – this woodland is called after a regional herder who is said to have vanished in the distant past, together with 200 of his sheep. But Hoia-Baciu came to international attention in 1968, when a military technician named Emil Barnea took a picture of what he claimed was a flying saucer hovering above a round opening in the heart of the forest.

Countless ventured inside and failed to return. But don't worry," he adds, addressing his guest with a smile. "Our tours have a perfect safety record."

In the decades since, Hoia-Baciu has brought in yogis, traditional medicine people, UFO researchers and paranormal investigators from across the world, interested in encountering the strange energies believed to resonate through the forest.

Modern Threats

It may be among the planet's leading destinations for supernatural fans, the grove is facing danger. The western districts of Cluj-Napoca – an innovative digital cluster of more than 400,000 people, known as the tech capital of eastern Europe – are advancing, and real estate firms are advocating for permission to clear the trees to construct residential buildings.

Aside from a limited section containing locally rare Mediterranean oak trees, the grove is not officially protected, but Marius believes that the initiative he co-founded – a local conservation effort – will assist in altering this, motivating the authorities to acknowledge the forest's significance as a visitor destination.

Eerie Encounters

When small sticks and fall foliage snap and crunch beneath their footwear, the guide recounts numerous local legends and claimed paranormal happenings here.

• One famous story tells of a little girl disappearing during a group gathering, only to return half a decade later with no recollection of her experience, showing no signs of aging a single day, her clothes lacking the smallest trace of dust.
• Frequent accounts explain smartphones and imaging devices mysteriously turning off on entering the woods.
• Reactions vary from complete terror to states of ecstasy.
• Various visitors claim observing bizarre skin irritations on their skin, detecting ghostly voices through the trees, or experience fingers clutching them, despite being sure they are alone.

Scientific Investigations

While many of the stories may be hard to prove, there are many things visibly present that is certainly unusual. Everywhere you look are vegetation whose trunks are curved and contorted into unusual forms.

Multiple explanations have been proposed to account for the abnormal growth: that hurricane winds could have altered the growth, or inherently elevated electromagnetic fields in the soil account for their strange formation.

But formal examinations have discovered inconclusive results.

The Legendary Opening

The guide's walks allow visitors to engage in a small-scale research of their own. As we approach the clearing in the trees where Barnea captured his famous UFO images, he hands his guest an electromagnetic field detector which measures electromagnetic fields.

"We're venturing into the most energetic area of the forest," he says. "Try to detect something."

The vegetation suddenly stop dead as we emerge into a flawless round. The single plant life is the short grass beneath the ground; it's apparent that it hasn't been mown, and seems that this bizarre meadow is natural, not the work of landscaping.

Between Reality and Imagination

Transylvania generally is a place which fuels fantasy, where the border is indistinct between fact and folklore. In traditional settlements belief persists in strigoi ("screamers") – supernatural, shapeshifting bloodsuckers, who rise from their graves to frighten local communities.

The famous author's famous fictional vampire is always connected with Transylvania, and Bran Castle – a Saxon monolith perched on a stone formation in the mountain range – is actively advertised as "the vampire's home".

But including myth-shrouded Transylvania – actually, "the territory after the grove" – appears real and understandable in contrast to these eerie woods, which give the impression of being, for reasons radioactive, environmental or purely mythical, a hub for fantasy projection.

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