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"People refer to this spot the Bermuda Triangle of Transylvania," explains a tour guide, his breath producing clouds of condensation in the crisp evening air. "Countless individuals have disappeared here, it's thought it's an entrance to another dimension." This expert is escorting a traveler on a night walk through what is often described as the world's most haunted forest: Hoia-Baciu, a section spanning 640 acres of ancient local woods on the outskirts of the Transylvanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

Hundreds of Years of Enigma

Reports of unusual events here extend back a long time – the forest is named after a local shepherd who is reportedly went missing in the distant past, along with two hundred animals. But Hoia-Baciu came to global recognition in 1968, when an army specialist known as Emil Barnea captured on film what he described as a unidentified flying object floating above a round opening in the centre of the forest.

Many came in here and never came out. But no need to fear," he continues, facing the visitor with a smile. "Our excursions have a 100% return rate."

In the time after, Hoia-Baciu has brought in yoga practitioners, traditional medicine people, extraterrestrial investigators and supernatural researchers from around the globe, eager to feel the strange energies reported to reverberate through the forest.

Modern Threats

Although it is one of the world's premier hotspots for paranormal enthusiasts, the forest is at risk. The outlying areas of Cluj-Napoca – a modern tech hub of over 400,000 residents, known as the Silicon Valley of the region – are expanding, and real estate firms are campaigning for permission to remove the forest to build apartment blocks.

Barring a limited section housing area-specific specific tree species, the grove is without conservation status, but the guide believes that the company he co-founded – the Hoia-Baciu Project – will contribute to improving the situation, motivating the government officials to recognise the forest's importance as a visitor destination.

Eerie Encounters

While branches and fall foliage snap and crunch beneath their footwear, the guide tells various traditional stories and claimed ghostly incidents here.

• A well-known account recounts a five-year-old girl going missing during a group gathering, then to return half a decade later with complete amnesia of what had happened, without aging a single day, her clothes shy of the tiniest bit of soil.
• Regular stories describe mobile phones and photography gear unexpectedly failing on venturing inside.
• Feelings vary from absolute fear to moments of euphoria.
• Certain individuals report noticing strange rashes on their bodies, perceiving unseen murmurs through the woodland, or experience fingers clutching them, despite being convinced they're by themselves.

Scientific Investigations

Despite several of the tales may be impossible to confirm, there is much clearly observable that is certainly unusual. Throughout the area are trees whose stems are warped and gnarled into unusual forms.

Various suggestions have been suggested to clarify the deformed trees: strong gales could have bent the saplings, or typically increased radioactivity in the earth cause their crooked growth.

But formal examinations have discovered insufficient proof.

The Legendary Opening

The expert's excursions permit participants to take part in a modest investigation of their own. Upon reaching the clearing in the forest where Barnea took his famous UFO pictures, he gives his guest an electromagnetic field detector which registers electromagnetic fields.

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

The vegetation immediately cease as they step into a complete ring. The only greenery is the short grass beneath our feet; it's clear that it hasn't been mown, and appears that this unusual opening is wild, not the result of people.

Fact Versus Fiction

The broader region is a place which stirs the imagination, where the line is unclear between truth and myth. In rural Romanian communities superstition remains in strigoi ("screamers") – supernatural, form-changing bloodsuckers, who emerge from tombs to terrorise local communities.

The famous author's well-known vampire Count Dracula is forever associated with Transylvania, and the historic stronghold – a medieval building perched on a cliff edge in the Transylvanian Alps – is heavily promoted as "the vampire's home".

But including legend-filled Transylvania – actually, "the land past the woods" – appears real and understandable compared to the haunted grove, which give the impression of being, for factors radioactive, climatic or entirely legendary, a hub for fantasy projection.

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