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"They call this place the Bermuda Triangle of Transylvania," remarks an experienced guide, his breath creating wisps of condensation in the cold evening air. "So many people have vanished here, many believe it's an entrance to a parallel world." This expert is leading a guest on a night walk through what is often described as the globe's spookiest woodland: Hoia-Baciu, an area covering one square mile of ancient local woods on the edges of the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

A Long History of the Unexplained

Reports of strange happenings here extend back a long time – this woodland is titled for a regional herder who is said to have vanished in the distant past, along with two hundred animals. But Hoia-Baciu achieved worldwide fame in 1968, when a defense worker known as Emil Barnea took a picture of what he described as a flying saucer floating above a oval meadow in the centre of the forest.

Numerous entered this place and vanished without trace. But no need to fear," he adds, addressing the traveler with a smirk. "Our tours have a flawless completion rate."

In the years that followed, Hoia-Baciu has attracted meditation experts, shamans, UFO researchers and paranormal investigators from worldwide, interested in encountering the mysterious powers said to echo through the forest.

Modern Threats

Although it is among the planet's leading hotspots for lovers of the paranormal, the grove is facing danger. The western suburbs of Cluj-Napoca – a modern tech hub of over 400,000 residents, known as the Silicon Valley of Eastern Europe – are advancing, and construction companies are advocating for approval to remove the forest to construct residential buildings.

Aside from a few hectares containing regionally uncommon oak varieties, the grove is lacking legal protection, but the guide believes that the company he was instrumental in creating – a dedicated preservation group – will contribute to improving the situation, persuading the government officials to recognise the forest's importance as a travel hotspot.

Spooky Experiences

While branches and autumn leaves break and crackle beneath their shoes, Marius recounts numerous traditional stories and claimed ghostly incidents here.

• A popular tale recounts a five-year-old girl vanishing during a family picnic, only to rematerialise after five years with complete amnesia of her experience, having not aged a day, her garments lacking the smallest trace of soil.
• More common reports explain mobile phones and camera equipment mysteriously turning off on venturing inside.
• Feelings vary from absolute fear to states of ecstasy.
• Some people report noticing unusual marks on their arms, hearing unseen murmurs through the forest, or sense fingers clutching them, although sure they are alone.

Research Efforts

Despite several of the accounts may be hard to prove, there is much visibly present that is undeniably strange. Everywhere you look are trees whose stems are curved and contorted into unusual forms.

Different theories have been proposed to account for the abnormal growth: that hurricane winds could have shaped the young trees, or typically increased radiation levels in the earth cause their unusual development.

But scientific investigations have found inconclusive results.

The Legendary Opening

The guide's tours permit visitors to take part in a small-scale research of their own. Upon reaching the opening in the woods where Barnea took his well-known UFO pictures, he hands his guest an EMF meter which measures EMF readings.

"We're venturing into the most energetic area of the forest," he comments. "See what you can find."

The vegetation immediately cease as they step into a perfect circle. The single plant life is the short grass beneath the ground; it's obvious that it's naturally occurring, and appears that this unusual opening is wild, not the work of people.

Between Reality and Imagination

This part of Romania is a place which fuels fantasy, where the line is indistinct between reality and legend. In rural Romanian communities belief persists in strigoi ("screamers") – undead, form-changing creatures, who emerge from tombs to haunt local communities.

The novelist's famous character Dracula is forever associated with Transylvania, and Bran Castle – a medieval building perched on a cliff edge in the mountain range – is heavily promoted as "the vampire's home".

But including folklore-rich Transylvania – literally, "the land past the woods" – feels solid and predictable compared to these eerie woods, which give the impression of being, for reasons related to radiation, atmospheric or purely mythical, a hub for creative energy.

"Inside these woods," Marius says, "the line between reality and imagination is remarkably blurred."