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"People refer to this spot the Bermuda Triangle of Transylvania," states an experienced guide, the air from his lungs forming clouds of mist in the chilly night air. "So many people have vanished here, some say there's a gateway to another dimension." Marius is leading a traveler on a night walk through commonly known as the planet's most ghostly grove: Hoia-Baciu, a section spanning 640 acres of old-growth indigenous forest on the outskirts of the metropolis of Cluj-Napoca.

A Long History of the Unexplained

Accounts of strange happenings here date back centuries – the grove is titled for a local shepherd who is said to have vanished in the far-off times, together with 200 of his sheep. But Hoia-Baciu achieved global recognition in 1968, when a military technician called Emil Barnea photographed what he described as a flying saucer hovering above a oval meadow in the heart of the forest.

Countless ventured inside and failed to return. But don't worry," he states, facing the visitor with a smile. "Our excursions have a flawless completion rate."

In the years that followed, Hoia-Baciu has attracted yoga practitioners, spiritual healers, UFO researchers and ghost hunters from around the globe, curious to experience the mysterious powers believed to resonate through the forest.

Current Risks

It may be a top global pilgrimage sites for supernatural fans, the grove is at risk. The western suburbs of Cluj-Napoca – an innovative digital cluster of a population exceeding 400,000, called the Silicon Valley of eastern Europe – are expanding, and construction companies are advocating for permission to remove the forest to erect housing complexes.

Aside from a limited section housing area-specific specific tree species, this woodland is not officially protected, but Marius hopes that the company he was instrumental in creating – a dedicated preservation group – will help to change that, motivating the government officials to acknowledge the forest's value as a visitor destination.

Chilling Events

As twigs and autumn leaves snap and crunch beneath their boots, the guide tells some of the folk tales and claimed ghostly incidents here.

• A popular tale tells of a five-year-old girl going missing during a family outing, then to reappear five years later with complete amnesia of the events, having not aged a single day, her garments without the smallest trace of dust.
• Frequent accounts explain cellphones and photography gear inexplicably shutting down on venturing inside.
• Reactions range from absolute fear to states of ecstasy.
• Some people report seeing unusual marks on their bodies, detecting unseen murmurs through the forest, or experience hands grabbing them, although certain nobody is nearby.

Study Attempts

Despite several of the stories may be unverifiable, there is much clearly observable that is certainly unusual. Throughout the area are trees whose bases are bent and twisted into bizarre configurations.

Different theories have been suggested to explain the deformed trees: that hurricane winds could have bent the saplings, or inherently elevated radioactivity in the soil cause their unusual development.

But formal examinations have discovered inconclusive results.

The Notorious Meadow

Marius's excursions enable guests to participate in a small-scale research of their own. When nearing the opening in the trees where Barnea photographed his famous UFO images, he passes his guest an electromagnetic field detector which registers EMF readings.

"We're venturing into the most powerful part of the forest," he states. "Try to detect something."

The trees abruptly end as we emerge into a perfect circle. The only greenery is the trimmed turf beneath their shoes; it's obvious that it's not maintained, and seems that this bizarre meadow is natural, not the creation of people.

Between Reality and Imagination

This part of Romania is a area which stirs the imagination, where the line is unclear between fact and folklore. In countryside villages belief persists in strigoi ("screamers") – otherworldly, shapeshifting vampires, who emerge from tombs to terrorise local communities.

Bram Stoker's well-known vampire Count Dracula is forever associated with Transylvania, and the historic stronghold – a medieval building situated on a stone formation in the Transylvanian Alps – is keenly marketed as "the count's residence".

But including myth-shrouded Transylvania – literally, "the place beyond the forest" – feels solid and predictable compared to this spooky forest, which appear to be, for causes radioactive, environmental or purely mythical, a hub for creative energy.

"Within this forest," Marius states, "the boundary between reality and imagination is remarkably blurred."