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"People refer to this spot the Bermuda Triangle of Transylvania," remarks a tour guide, his exhalation forming wisps of condensation in the chilly evening air. "Numerous individuals have vanished here, it's thought it's a portal to a parallel world." This expert is leading a visitor on a night walk through commonly known as the globe's spookiest grove: Hoia-Baciu, a square mile of ancient indigenous forest on the edges of the metropolis of Cluj-Napoca.

A Long History of the Unexplained

Stories of strange happenings here go back hundreds of years – the grove is named after a local shepherd who is believed to have disappeared in the long ago, along with his entire flock. But Hoia-Baciu came to global recognition in 1968, when an army specialist named Emil Barnea photographed what he reported as a flying saucer suspended above a round opening in the middle of the forest.

Many came in here and vanished without trace. But don't worry," he adds, addressing the traveler with a smile. "Our tours have a perfect safety record."

In the time after, Hoia-Baciu has drawn meditation experts, traditional medicine people, ufologists and paranormal investigators from across the world, eager to feel the mysterious powers said to echo through the forest.

Modern Threats

It may be a top global hotspots for paranormal enthusiasts, this woodland is at risk. The western suburbs of Cluj-Napoca – a contemporary technology center of more than 400,000 people, described as the Silicon Valley of the region – are encroaching, and construction companies are advocating for authorization to cut down the woods to construct residential buildings.

Barring a small area containing locally rare oak varieties, the grove is without conservation status, but the guide hopes that the organization he helped establish – a dedicated preservation group – will help to change that, persuading the government officials to recognise the forest's value as a travel hotspot.

Eerie Encounters

As twigs and autumn leaves break and crackle beneath their footwear, Marius describes various traditional stories and reported supernatural events here.

• One famous story describes a young child going missing during a family picnic, later to reappear half a decade later with no recollection of her experience, showing no signs of aging a moment, her attire shy of the tiniest bit of dust.
• Frequent accounts detail smartphones and camera equipment inexplicably shutting down on entering the woods.
• Reactions range from full-blown dread to moments of euphoria.
• Some people state noticing bizarre skin irritations on their arms, perceiving unseen murmurs through the trees, or sense fingers clutching them, despite being convinced they're by themselves.

Scientific Investigations

Although numerous of the stories may be hard to prove, there is much visibly present that is undeniably strange. Everywhere you look are plants whose stems are curved and contorted into unusual forms.

Different theories have been suggested to explain the misshapen plants: that hurricane winds could have altered the growth, or typically increased electromagnetic fields in the ground account for their unusual development.

But research studies have found inconclusive results.

The Legendary Opening

The expert's excursions enable visitors to engage in a modest investigation of their own. Upon reaching the meadow in the trees where Barnea captured his renowned UFO images, he passes the visitor an electromagnetic field detector which registers energy patterns.

"We're entering the most powerful part of the forest," he states. "Discover what's here."

The vegetation immediately cease as the group enters into a flawless round. The only greenery is the short grass beneath their shoes; it's obvious that it hasn't been mown, and seems that this bizarre meadow is wild, not the creation of landscaping.

The Blurred Line

This part of Romania is a location which stirs the imagination, where the border is unclear between reality and legend. In rural Romanian communities superstition remains in strigoi ("screamers") – undead, form-changing creatures, who emerge from tombs to terrorise local communities.

The novelist's famous fictional vampire is forever associated with Transylvania, and the legendary fortress – an ancient structure located on a rocky outcrop in the Transylvanian Alps – is heavily promoted as "the vampire's home".

But even myth-shrouded Transylvania – literally, "the land past the woods" – seems tangible and comprehensible versus this spooky forest, which seem to be, for factors radioactive, environmental or simply folkloric, a hub for fantasy projection.

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