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"People refer to this location the Bermuda Triangle of Transylvania," states a local guide, his breath forming puffs of mist in the chilly evening air. "So many visitors have disappeared here, many believe it's a portal to a parallel world." Marius is escorting a visitor on a night walk through what is often described as the planet's most ghostly woodland: Hoia-Baciu, a section spanning 640 acres of ancient indigenous forest on the edges of the Transylvanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

Hundreds of Years of Enigma

Stories of strange happenings here date back a long time – the grove is called after a regional herder who is said to have vanished in the far-off times, accompanied by two hundred animals. But Hoia-Baciu achieved international attention in 1968, when a defense worker named Emil Barnea took a picture of what he described as a flying saucer floating above a round opening in the centre of the forest.

Countless ventured inside and never came out. But no need to fear," he adds, facing the visitor with a smirk. "Our guided walks have a flawless completion rate."

In the decades since, Hoia-Baciu has attracted yogis, traditional medicine people, UFO researchers and supernatural researchers from around the globe, curious to experience the strange energies said to echo through the forest.

Modern Threats

It may be a top global destinations for supernatural fans, this woodland is facing danger. The outlying areas of Cluj-Napoca – a contemporary technology center of a population exceeding 400,000, called the tech capital of the region – are advancing, and developers are pushing for approval to clear the trees to construct residential buildings.

Barring a small area home to regionally uncommon specific tree species, the forest is lacking legal protection, but the guide hopes that the organization he co-founded – the Hoia-Baciu Project – will assist in altering this, motivating the government officials to appreciate the forest's significance as a visitor destination.

Spooky Experiences

As twigs and fall foliage split and rustle beneath their boots, the guide describes some of the folk tales and claimed ghostly incidents here.

• A popular tale recounts a little girl vanishing during a family outing, then to reappear five years later with no recollection of what had happened, having not aged a day, her attire lacking the tiniest bit of dust.
• Regular stories describe smartphones and camera equipment mysteriously turning off on entering the woods.
• Feelings range from complete terror to moments of euphoria.
• Some people claim seeing strange rashes on their skin, perceiving ghostly voices through the forest, or sense palms pushing them, even when certain nobody is nearby.

Study Attempts

While many of the accounts may be hard to prove, there are many things before my eyes that is definitely bizarre. All around are vegetation whose stems are bent and twisted into unusual forms.

Multiple explanations have been proposed to account for the misshapen plants: powerful storms could have altered the growth, or naturally high electromagnetic fields in the earth cause their strange formation.

But formal examinations have turned up no satisfactory evidence.

The Legendary Opening

The expert's tours allow participants to engage in a little scientific inquiry of their own. When nearing the meadow in the forest where Barnea photographed his well-known UFO pictures, he gives his guest an ghost-hunting device which detects energy patterns.

"We're entering the most powerful part of the forest," he states. "See what you can find."

The trees immediately cease as the group enters into a flawless round. The sole vegetation is the low vegetation beneath the ground; it's obvious that it's not maintained, and appears that this unusual opening is organic, not the work of landscaping.

Between Reality and Imagination

The broader region is a place which fuels fantasy, where the division is unclear between reality and legend. In traditional settlements superstition remains in strigoi ("screamers") – otherworldly, form-changing vampires, who return from burial sites to terrorise local communities.

The famous author's renowned character Dracula is always connected with Transylvania, and the historic stronghold – a medieval building perched on a cliff edge in the Carpathian Mountains – is heavily promoted as "the count's residence".

But including legend-filled Transylvania – literally, "the territory after the grove" – feels tangible and comprehensible compared to the haunted grove, which seem to be, for factors radioactive, atmospheric or simply folkloric, a hub for fantasy projection.

"Within this forest," Marius comments, "the line between reality and imagination is very thin."