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"Locals dub this spot the Bermuda Triangle of Transylvania," states a tour guide, the air from his lungs producing puffs of condensation in the cold night air. "Numerous individuals have disappeared here, many believe it's an entrance to a different realm." The guide is leading a guest on a evening stroll through commonly known as the planet's most ghostly forest: Hoia-Baciu, an area covering one square mile of ancient local woods on the edges of the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

Hundreds of Years of Enigma

Stories of unusual events here extend back centuries – the grove is named after a regional herder who is believed to have disappeared in the long ago, along with his entire flock. But Hoia-Baciu gained international attention in 1968, when a military technician known as Emil Barnea took a picture of what he reported as a unidentified flying object hovering above a round opening in the centre of the forest.

Many came in here and failed to return. But don't worry," he continues, turning to the visitor with a smirk. "Our excursions have a perfect safety record."

In the years that followed, Hoia-Baciu has attracted yogis, shamans, UFO researchers and supernatural researchers from worldwide, eager to feel the unusual forces believed to resonate through the forest.

Current Risks

Despite being a top global destinations for lovers of the paranormal, the forest is facing danger. The outlying areas of Cluj-Napoca – a contemporary technology center of a population exceeding 400,000, known as the Silicon Valley of Eastern Europe – are encroaching, and real estate firms are pushing for approval to cut down the woods to erect housing complexes.

Barring a limited section containing area-specific Mediterranean oak trees, the forest is not officially protected, but the guide hopes that the organization he helped establish – the Hoia-Baciu Project – will help to change that, encouraging the government officials to appreciate the forest's significance as a travel hotspot.

Eerie Encounters

While branches and seasonal debris break and crackle beneath their boots, Marius tells some of the folk tales and claimed ghostly incidents here.

• One famous story describes a little girl vanishing during a family outing, later to rematerialise after five years with no memory of what had happened, showing no signs of aging a day, her attire without the tiniest bit of dirt.
• More common reports describe cellphones and camera equipment inexplicably shutting down on entering the woods.
• Reactions vary from full-blown dread to feelings of joy.
• Some people report seeing strange rashes on their skin, detecting ghostly voices through the forest, or experience fingers clutching them, despite being sure they are alone.

Study Attempts

Although numerous of the tales may be impossible to confirm, there is much visibly present that is definitely bizarre. Everywhere you look are trees whose trunks are curved and contorted into bizarre configurations.

Various suggestions have been suggested to explain the abnormal growth: strong gales could have shaped the young trees, or naturally high radioactivity in the ground cause their crooked growth.

But scientific investigations have turned up inconclusive results.

The Legendary Opening

The guide's walks permit guests to take part in a small-scale research of their own. Upon reaching the opening in the trees where Barnea photographed his renowned UFO photographs, he passes the traveler an EMF meter which registers EMF readings.

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

The plants suddenly stop dead as the group enters into a perfect circle. The single plant life is the trimmed turf beneath our feet; it's clear that it's naturally occurring, and appears that this bizarre meadow is natural, not the result of people.

The Blurred Line

The broader region is a place which fuels fantasy, where the line is unclear between truth and myth. In countryside villages belief persists in strigoi ("screamers") – otherworldly, appearance-altering bloodsuckers, who return from burial sites to frighten regional populations.

Bram Stoker's renowned vampire Count Dracula is permanently linked with Transylvania, and Bran Castle – an ancient structure situated on a cliff edge in the Transylvanian Alps – is actively advertised as "Dracula's Castle".

But even folklore-rich Transylvania – actually, "the territory after the grove" – seems solid and predictable versus the haunted grove, which give the impression of being, for reasons nuclear, atmospheric or entirely legendary, a nexus for creative energy.

"Within this forest," the guide says, "the line between truth and fantasy is extremely fine."