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"They call this spot the Bermuda Triangle of Transylvania," explains an experienced guide, his exhalation forming clouds of condensation in the crisp evening air. "So many people have disappeared here, many believe there's a gateway to a parallel world." This expert is leading a traveler on a evening stroll through frequently labeled as the planet's most ghostly forest: Hoia-Baciu, a section spanning 640 acres of ancient native woodland on the fringes of the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

Hundreds of Years of Enigma

Stories of bizarre occurrences here date back hundreds of years – the grove is named after a regional herder who is said to have vanished in the long ago, along with 200 of his sheep. But Hoia-Baciu came to global recognition in 1968, when a military technician called Emil Barnea photographed what he described as a unidentified flying object hovering above a oval meadow in the heart of the forest.

Many came in here and failed to return. But no need to fear," he continues, turning to the visitor with a smirk. "Our excursions have a flawless completion rate."

In the time after, Hoia-Baciu has drawn yogis, traditional medicine people, extraterrestrial investigators and ghost hunters from across the world, interested in encountering the mysterious powers said to echo through the forest.

Modern Threats

Although it is among the planet's leading pilgrimage sites for supernatural fans, this woodland is under threat. The western suburbs of Cluj-Napoca – an innovative digital cluster of more than 400,000 people, described as the Silicon Valley of Eastern Europe – are expanding, and real estate firms are advocating for authorization to remove the forest to build apartment blocks.

Aside from a few hectares housing locally rare specific tree species, this woodland is without conservation status, but Marius hopes that the company he co-founded – a local conservation effort – will contribute to improving the situation, encouraging the local administrators to acknowledge the forest's importance as a tourist attraction.

Eerie Encounters

When small sticks and fall foliage break and crackle beneath their boots, the guide recounts some of the traditional stories and alleged paranormal happenings here.

• A well-known account recounts a young child vanishing during a group gathering, only to reappear half a decade later with no recollection of her experience, having not aged a day, her attire shy of the slightest speck of dust.
• Frequent accounts describe smartphones and photography gear unexpectedly failing on venturing inside.
• Feelings include full-blown dread to moments of euphoria.
• Various visitors state noticing unusual marks on their skin, detecting disembodied whispers through the forest, or experience fingers clutching them, despite being sure they are alone.

Research Efforts

Despite several of the stories may be unverifiable, there are many things visibly present that is certainly unusual. Throughout the area are trees whose bases are curved and contorted into fantastical shapes.

Various suggestions have been proposed to account for the misshapen plants: strong gales could have shaped the young trees, or typically increased radiation levels in the earth explain their crooked growth.

But formal examinations have found inconclusive results.

The Notorious Meadow

Marius's excursions enable visitors to participate in a small-scale research of their own. As we approach the opening in the woods where Barnea photographed his well-known UFO pictures, he gives the traveler an electromagnetic field detector which registers EMF readings.

"We're venturing into the most energetic part of the forest," he says. "Discover what's here."

The plants immediately cease as they step into a flawless round. The single plant life is the trimmed turf beneath our feet; it's obvious that it's not maintained, and seems that this strange clearing is wild, not the creation of human hands.

Fact Versus Fiction

This part of Romania is a location which fuels fantasy, where the border is unclear between reality and legend. In traditional settlements belief persists in strigoi ("screamers") – supernatural, appearance-altering creatures, who rise from their graves to haunt nearby villages.

The famous author's renowned character Dracula is permanently linked with Transylvania, and the legendary fortress – an ancient structure situated on a cliff edge in the mountain range – is heavily promoted as "the vampire's home".

But including folklore-rich Transylvania – truly, "the land past the woods" – seems real and understandable compared to the haunted grove, which seem to be, for reasons related to radiation, climatic or entirely legendary, a center for fantasy projection.

"Within this forest," Marius states, "the line between truth and fantasy is very thin."