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"People refer to this location the Bermuda Triangle of Transylvania," explains a local guide, his exhalation producing clouds of vapor in the chilly dusk atmosphere. "Numerous people have vanished here, it's thought it's a portal to another dimension." This expert is escorting a traveler on a night walk through frequently labeled as the globe's spookiest forest: Hoia-Baciu, an area covering one square mile of old-growth native woodland on the outskirts of the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

A Long History of the Unexplained

Reports of strange happenings here date back centuries – the forest is called after a local shepherd who is said to have vanished in the far-off times, along with 200 of his sheep. But Hoia-Baciu gained global recognition in 1968, when a defense worker named Emil Barnea took a picture of what he described as a unidentified flying object floating above a circular clearing in the middle of the forest.

Many came in here and vanished without trace. But rest assured," he continues, turning to the visitor with a smile. "Our guided walks have a perfect safety record."

In the time after, 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.

Current Risks

It may be one of the world's premier pilgrimage sites for lovers of the paranormal, the grove is under threat. The western suburbs of Cluj-Napoca – a contemporary technology center of a population exceeding 400,000, called the Silicon Valley of the region – are advancing, and real estate firms are campaigning for permission to remove the forest to erect housing complexes.

Aside from a few hectares containing area-specific Mediterranean oak trees, the forest is not officially protected, but Marius hopes that the initiative he co-founded – a local conservation effort – will contribute to improving the situation, encouraging the authorities to acknowledge the forest's importance as a visitor destination.

Spooky Experiences

When small sticks and fall foliage snap and crunch beneath their shoes, the guide recounts numerous folk tales and alleged ghostly incidents here.

• One famous story recounts a little girl vanishing during a family picnic, only to return after five years with no recollection of the events, without aging a moment, her garments shy of the slightest speck of dirt.
• Frequent accounts detail cellphones and camera equipment mysteriously turning off on stepping into the forest.
• Reactions range from full-blown dread to moments of euphoria.
• Certain individuals claim noticing strange rashes on their skin, hearing unseen murmurs through the forest, or experience fingers clutching them, although sure they are alone.

Study Attempts

Despite several of the accounts may be unverifiable, numerous elements before my eyes that is undeniably strange. All around are vegetation whose trunks are curved and contorted into fantastical shapes.

Various suggestions have been suggested to explain the deformed trees: that hurricane winds could have altered the growth, or inherently elevated electromagnetic fields in the ground account for their crooked growth.

But research studies have turned up no satisfactory evidence.

The Legendary Opening

Marius's walks allow participants to participate in a little scientific inquiry of their own. When nearing the clearing in the forest where Barnea captured his famous UFO pictures, he hands the visitor an EMF meter which measures energy patterns.

"We're stepping into the most powerful section of the forest," he comments. "See what you can find."

The plants immediately cease as they step into a flawless round. The sole vegetation is the low vegetation beneath their shoes; it's obvious that it's naturally occurring, and looks that this bizarre meadow is wild, not the work of people.

Fact Versus Fiction

The broader region is a location which inspires creativity, where the border is unclear between truth and myth. In traditional settlements superstition remains in strigoi ("screamers") – undead, shapeshifting bloodsuckers, who emerge from tombs to haunt regional populations.

The novelist's renowned fictional vampire is always connected with Transylvania, and the historic stronghold – a medieval building situated on a rocky outcrop in the Carpathian Mountains – is keenly marketed as "Dracula's Castle".

But including folklore-rich Transylvania – literally, "the territory after the grove" – feels tangible and comprehensible in contrast to these eerie woods, which give the impression of being, for causes nuclear, climatic or purely mythical, a hub for creative energy.

"In Hoia-Baciu," Marius comments, "the boundary between reality and imagination is very thin."