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"People refer to this place the Bermuda Triangle of Transylvania," states a local guide, his breath forming wisps of vapor in the chilly night air. "Countless people have disappeared here, some say there's a gateway to a parallel world." The guide is escorting a traveler on a nocturnal tour through frequently labeled as the globe's spookiest woodland: Hoia-Baciu, a square mile of ancient native woodland on the edges of the metropolis of Cluj-Napoca.

A Long History of the Unexplained

Stories of unusual events here date back hundreds of years – the forest is named after a regional herder who is reportedly went missing in the distant past, accompanied by two hundred animals. But Hoia-Baciu achieved international attention in 1968, when a defense worker known as Emil Barnea photographed what he claimed was a UFO 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, facing his guest with a grin. "Our guided walks have a flawless completion rate."

In the years that followed, Hoia-Baciu has drawn yogis, shamans, UFO researchers and supernatural researchers from worldwide, eager to feel the strange energies said to echo through the forest.

Modern Threats

It may be among the planet's leading destinations for lovers of the paranormal, the grove is under threat. The western suburbs of Cluj-Napoca – a modern tech hub of over 400,000 residents, described as the Silicon Valley of eastern Europe – are expanding, and developers are campaigning for permission to remove the forest to erect housing complexes.

Barring a few hectares containing regionally uncommon oak varieties, the forest is without conservation status, but Marius believes that the company he helped establish – a dedicated preservation group – will contribute to improving the situation, encouraging the local administrators to appreciate the forest's importance as a visitor destination.

Spooky Experiences

When small sticks and autumn leaves snap and crunch beneath their footwear, the guide describes numerous folk tales and reported ghostly incidents here.

• One famous story tells of a five-year-old girl going missing during a group gathering, later to rematerialise five years later with no memory of the events, showing no signs of aging a day, her garments shy of the tiniest bit of dust.
• Regular stories describe cellphones and camera equipment inexplicably shutting down on entering the woods.
• Reactions include absolute fear to states of ecstasy.
• Various visitors report seeing strange rashes on their arms, perceiving disembodied whispers through the trees, or feel palms pushing them, although certain nobody is nearby.

Scientific Investigations

While many of the accounts may be unverifiable, there are many things visibly present that is definitely bizarre. Throughout the area are trees whose bases are bent and twisted into bizarre configurations.

Multiple explanations have been given to account for the abnormal growth: that hurricane winds could have altered the growth, or naturally high radioactivity in the ground cause their strange formation.

But scientific investigations have turned up no satisfactory evidence.

The Notorious Meadow

The expert's excursions permit guests to participate in a small-scale research of their own. As we approach the meadow in the woods where Barnea captured his renowned UFO photographs, he hands the traveler an ghost-hunting device which detects energy patterns.

"We're entering the most energetic section of the forest," he comments. "Try to detect something."

The trees abruptly end as we emerge into a flawless round. The only greenery is the trimmed turf beneath our feet; it's apparent that it's naturally occurring, and seems that this strange clearing is organic, not the work of human hands.

The Blurred Line

This part of Romania is a place which stirs the imagination, where the division is blurred between reality and legend. In countryside villages belief persists in strigoi ("screamers") – undead, form-changing creatures, who rise from their graves to terrorise nearby villages.

Bram Stoker's renowned fictional vampire is permanently linked with Transylvania, and the historic stronghold – a Saxon monolith located on a cliff edge in the Carpathian Mountains – is heavily promoted as "Dracula's Castle".

But despite folklore-rich Transylvania – truly, "the territory after the grove" – feels tangible and comprehensible versus the haunted grove, which give the impression of being, for reasons radioactive, atmospheric or simply folkloric, a nexus for human imaginative power.

"Inside these woods," the guide states, "the division between truth and fantasy is remarkably blurred."