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"They call this location the Bermuda Triangle of Transylvania," remarks a tour guide, his exhalation producing wisps of mist in the chilly evening air. "So many people have disappeared here, many believe it's an entrance to another dimension." This expert is guiding a guest on a nocturnal tour through what is often described as the planet's most ghostly woodland: Hoia-Baciu, a section spanning 640 acres of primeval local woods on the edges of the metropolis of Cluj-Napoca.

A Long History of the Unexplained

Stories of bizarre occurrences here go back a long time – the grove is named after a area shepherd who is said to have vanished in the far-off times, accompanied by two hundred animals. But Hoia-Baciu came to global recognition in 1968, when an army specialist called Emil Barnea captured on film what he reported as a flying saucer floating above a oval meadow in the heart of the forest.

Numerous entered this place and vanished without trace. But don't worry," he states, facing the traveler with a smile. "Our guided walks have a 100% return rate."

In the decades since, Hoia-Baciu has brought in yogis, traditional medicine people, UFO researchers and ghost hunters from worldwide, eager to feel the mysterious powers believed to resonate through the forest.

Current Risks

It may be a top global destinations for supernatural fans, this woodland is at risk. The western districts of Cluj-Napoca – a contemporary technology center of over 400,000 residents, known as the tech capital of the region – are advancing, and real estate firms are pushing for authorization to remove the forest to construct residential buildings.

Except for a few hectares housing locally rare Mediterranean oak trees, the grove is without conservation status, but Marius hopes that the company he co-founded – a dedicated preservation group – will help to change that, motivating the authorities to appreciate the forest's importance as a travel hotspot.

Spooky Experiences

While branches and autumn leaves snap and crunch beneath their boots, the guide describes numerous local legends and reported supernatural events here.

• A popular tale recounts a young child disappearing during a group gathering, only to rematerialise half a decade later with complete amnesia of her experience, having not aged a single day, her attire shy of the smallest trace of dirt.
• Frequent accounts explain cellphones and imaging devices unexpectedly failing on venturing inside.
• Reactions range from complete terror to moments of euphoria.
• Certain individuals state observing unusual marks on their bodies, perceiving unseen murmurs through the woodland, or experience hands grabbing them, although certain nobody is nearby.

Study Attempts

Although numerous of the stories may be hard to prove, there is much clearly observable that is certainly unusual. Everywhere you look are vegetation whose trunks are curved and contorted into unusual forms.

Various suggestions have been proposed to clarify the abnormal growth: strong gales could have bent the saplings, or naturally high radiation levels in the soil explain their crooked growth.

But scientific investigations have discovered no satisfactory evidence.

The Legendary Opening

Marius's tours permit guests to participate in a modest investigation of their own. As we approach the meadow in the woods where Barnea captured his renowned UFO images, he gives the visitor an electromagnetic field detector which measures EMF readings.

"We're entering the most active section of the forest," he says. "Try to detect something."

The plants abruptly end as they step into a perfect circle. The single plant life is the trimmed turf beneath the ground; it's clear that it's naturally occurring, and appears that this bizarre meadow is organic, not the result of human hands.

Fact Versus Fiction

Transylvania generally is a location which fuels fantasy, where the border is unclear between truth and myth. In countryside villages belief persists in strigoi ("screamers") – undead, appearance-altering vampires, who return from burial sites to terrorise local communities.

Bram Stoker's renowned vampire Count Dracula is permanently linked with Transylvania, and Bran Castle – a medieval building situated on a cliff edge in the mountain range – is actively advertised as "the count's residence".

But despite myth-shrouded Transylvania – literally, "the place beyond the forest" – seems real and understandable compared to this spooky forest, which seem to be, for reasons related to radiation, atmospheric or entirely legendary, a center for fantasy projection.

"Inside these woods," the guide says, "the division between fact and fiction is extremely fine."