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"People refer to this spot the Bermuda Triangle of Transylvania," remarks an experienced guide, the air from his lungs creating wisps of vapor in the cold evening air. "Countless people have disappeared here, it's thought it's an entrance to a parallel world." This expert is guiding a guest on a evening stroll through what is often described as the globe's spookiest forest: Hoia-Baciu, a section spanning 640 acres of primeval native woodland on the fringes of the Transylvanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

Hundreds of Years of Enigma

Stories of unusual events here date back a long time – the grove is called after a regional herder who is believed to have disappeared 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 flying saucer floating above a oval meadow in the heart of the forest.

Numerous entered this place and never came out. But don't worry," he adds, turning to his guest with a smirk. "Our guided walks have a flawless completion rate."

In the time after, Hoia-Baciu has attracted yoga practitioners, shamans, UFO researchers and supernatural researchers from across the world, curious to experience the unusual forces believed to resonate through the forest.

Contemporary Dangers

Although it is a top global destinations for paranormal enthusiasts, the grove is facing danger. The western suburbs of Cluj-Napoca – an innovative digital cluster of a population exceeding 400,000, called the tech capital of Eastern Europe – are advancing, and real estate firms are campaigning for approval to cut down the woods to erect housing complexes.

Except for a limited section home to area-specific oak varieties, the grove is lacking legal protection, but Marius believes that the company he was instrumental in creating – the Hoia-Baciu Project – will assist in altering this, persuading the government officials to appreciate the forest's value as a visitor destination.

Spooky Experiences

When small sticks and autumn leaves break and crackle beneath their footwear, Marius tells numerous local legends and alleged supernatural events here.

• One famous story describes a young child disappearing during a family outing, then to return after five years with complete amnesia of the events, having not aged a day, her garments without the tiniest bit of dust.
• Frequent accounts describe cellphones and photography gear mysteriously turning off on entering the woods.
• Feelings include absolute fear to moments of euphoria.
• Some people state noticing bizarre skin irritations on their skin, detecting unseen murmurs through the trees, or sense palms pushing them, even when convinced they're by themselves.

Study Attempts

Despite several of the tales may be hard to prove, there is much visibly present that is certainly unusual. All around are trees whose stems are warped and gnarled into bizarre configurations.

Different theories have been proposed to clarify the abnormal growth: that hurricane winds could have shaped the young trees, or naturally high radiation levels in the ground explain their crooked growth.

But formal examinations have discovered insufficient proof.

The Notorious Meadow

The guide's tours allow visitors to engage in a modest investigation of their own. As we approach the opening in the forest where Barnea captured his renowned UFO photographs, he passes the visitor an ghost-hunting device which registers electromagnetic fields.

"We're venturing into the most powerful part of the forest," he says. "See what you can find."

The plants abruptly end as we emerge into a complete ring. The sole vegetation is the short grass beneath the ground; it's obvious that it's not maintained, and looks that this bizarre meadow is natural, not the creation of human hands.

Fact Versus Fiction

The broader region is a place which inspires creativity, where the division is unclear between reality and legend. In traditional settlements faith continues in strigoi ("screamers") – undead, form-changing bloodsuckers, who return from burial sites to terrorise regional populations.

The famous author's famous fictional vampire is always connected with Transylvania, and the legendary fortress – a medieval building perched on a stone formation in the Transylvanian Alps – is keenly marketed as "the count's residence".

But despite folklore-rich Transylvania – literally, "the land past the woods" – feels solid and predictable compared to the haunted grove, which seem to be, for reasons radioactive, climatic or simply folkloric, a nexus for fantasy projection.

"Within this forest," Marius comments, "the line between reality and imagination is extremely fine."