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"People refer to this place the Bermuda Triangle of Transylvania," explains an experienced guide, his exhalation creating puffs of vapor in the chilly dusk atmosphere. "Countless individuals have gone missing here, some say there's a gateway to a different realm." This expert is escorting a traveler on a night walk through what is often described as the globe's spookiest woodland: Hoia-Baciu, a square mile of ancient local woods on the edges of the metropolis of Cluj-Napoca.

A Long History of the Unexplained

Accounts of strange happenings here extend back a long time – the forest is named after a regional herder who is said to have vanished in the far-off times, accompanied by 200 of his sheep. But Hoia-Baciu achieved international attention in 1968, when a defense worker known as Emil Barnea captured on film what he reported as a UFO suspended above a oval meadow in the middle of the forest.

Numerous entered this place and vanished without trace. But no need to fear," he adds, addressing the visitor with a smirk. "Our excursions have a perfect safety record."

In the decades since, Hoia-Baciu has drawn meditation experts, shamans, UFO researchers and paranormal investigators from across the world, curious to experience the mysterious powers reported to reverberate through the forest.

Contemporary Dangers

It may be one of the world's premier destinations for supernatural fans, the grove is under threat. The outlying areas of Cluj-Napoca – a contemporary technology center of over 400,000 residents, described as the tech capital of Eastern Europe – are advancing, and real estate firms are campaigning for approval to cut down the woods to build apartment blocks.

Aside from a small area containing locally rare Mediterranean oak trees, the forest is not officially protected, but Marius believes that the organization he co-founded – the Hoia-Baciu Project – will assist in altering this, motivating the local administrators to appreciate the forest's importance as a tourist attraction.

Spooky Experiences

While branches and fall foliage snap and crunch beneath their footwear, the guide recounts numerous traditional stories and alleged paranormal happenings here.

• A well-known account recounts a five-year-old girl going missing during a family outing, only to reappear half a decade later with no memory of her experience, showing no signs of aging a single day, her clothes shy of the smallest trace of dirt.
• Regular stories describe mobile phones and imaging devices mysteriously turning off on venturing inside.
• Emotional responses range from complete terror to feelings of joy.
• Certain individuals state observing bizarre skin irritations on their arms, perceiving disembodied whispers through the forest, or feel palms pushing them, even when convinced they're by themselves.

Scientific Investigations

Although numerous of the stories may be unverifiable, there is much before my eyes that is definitely bizarre. Throughout the area are trees whose trunks are curved and contorted into fantastical shapes.

Different theories have been suggested to explain the misshapen plants: powerful storms could have altered the growth, or naturally high radiation levels in the soil explain their crooked growth.

But research studies have turned up inconclusive results.

The Famous Clearing

The expert's excursions enable visitors to take part in a small-scale research of their own. Upon reaching the clearing in the woods where Barnea took his renowned UFO images, he passes the visitor an electromagnetic field detector which registers electromagnetic fields.

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

The plants immediately cease as the group enters into a complete ring. The only greenery is the low vegetation beneath our feet; it's obvious that it's naturally occurring, and appears that this bizarre meadow is organic, not the result of human hands.

Fact Versus Fiction

This part of Romania is a place which fuels fantasy, where the line is indistinct between reality and legend. In traditional settlements faith continues in strigoi ("screamers") – otherworldly, appearance-altering creatures, who emerge from tombs to terrorise regional populations.

The famous author's renowned fictional vampire is forever associated with Transylvania, and the historic stronghold – a Saxon monolith situated on a rocky outcrop in the Carpathian Mountains – is keenly marketed as "the count's residence".

But including legend-filled Transylvania – actually, "the place beyond the forest" – appears solid and predictable in contrast to this spooky forest, which seem to be, for causes related to radiation, climatic or simply folkloric, a center for human imaginative power.

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