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"They call this spot the Bermuda Triangle of Transylvania," remarks an experienced guide, his breath forming wisps of mist in the chilly evening air. "So many people have disappeared here, it's thought there's a gateway to a different realm." The guide is guiding a guest on a night walk through commonly known as the globe's spookiest grove: Hoia-Baciu, a section spanning 640 acres of old-growth indigenous forest on the fringes of the metropolis of Cluj-Napoca.

A Long History of the Unexplained

Stories of bizarre occurrences here date back hundreds of years – the forest is named after a area shepherd who is said to have vanished in the far-off times, accompanied by his entire flock. But Hoia-Baciu came to international attention in 1968, when an army specialist known as Emil Barnea photographed what he described as a flying saucer hovering above a round opening in the centre of the forest.

Countless ventured inside and never came out. But rest assured," he continues, facing the visitor with a grin. "Our guided walks have a flawless completion rate."

In the decades since, Hoia-Baciu has drawn yoga practitioners, spiritual healers, UFO researchers and ghost hunters from around the globe, curious to experience the strange energies said to echo through the forest.

Contemporary Dangers

It may be among the planet's leading destinations for supernatural fans, this woodland is facing danger. The western suburbs of Cluj-Napoca – a contemporary technology center of over 400,000 residents, called the tech capital of Eastern Europe – are advancing, and construction companies are advocating for authorization to cut down the woods to build apartment blocks.

Aside from a small area home to locally rare Mediterranean oak trees, the grove is lacking legal protection, but the guide believes that the organization he co-founded – the Hoia-Baciu Project – will contribute to improving the situation, motivating the government officials to acknowledge the forest's significance as a travel hotspot.

Spooky Experiences

While branches and autumn leaves split and rustle beneath their footwear, the guide tells various folk tales and alleged supernatural events here.

• A popular tale recounts a young child going missing during a group gathering, later to rematerialise half a decade later with complete amnesia of what had happened, without aging a single day, her garments shy of the smallest trace of soil.
• More common reports explain cellphones and imaging devices mysteriously turning off on stepping into the forest.
• Reactions vary from absolute fear to states of ecstasy.
• Some people report seeing unusual marks on their bodies, hearing ghostly voices through the woodland, or feel hands grabbing them, even when certain nobody is nearby.

Scientific Investigations

Although numerous of the accounts may be unverifiable, there are many things clearly observable that is certainly unusual. Throughout the area are plants whose stems are warped and gnarled into fantastical shapes.

Multiple explanations have been given to explain the deformed trees: powerful storms could have shaped the young trees, or naturally high radiation levels in the soil explain their strange formation.

But scientific investigations have discovered insufficient proof.

The Famous Clearing

The expert's tours permit visitors to take part in a small-scale research of their own. Upon reaching the clearing in the woods where Barnea photographed his renowned UFO photographs, he gives his guest an EMF meter which registers electromagnetic fields.

"We're entering the most powerful part of the forest," he states. "Discover what's here."

The vegetation immediately cease as the group enters into a perfect circle. The only greenery is the low vegetation beneath the ground; it's obvious that it's not maintained, and appears that this bizarre meadow is natural, not the work of people.

Between Reality and Imagination

The broader region is a location which fuels fantasy, where the line is unclear between fact and folklore. In rural Romanian communities superstition remains in strigoi ("screamers") – otherworldly, appearance-altering creatures, who return from burial sites to haunt regional populations.

Bram Stoker's renowned character Dracula is permanently linked with Transylvania, and the legendary fortress – an ancient structure located on a stone formation in the mountain range – is actively advertised as "the count's residence".

But including myth-shrouded Transylvania – truly, "the land past the woods" – seems solid and predictable compared to these eerie woods, which give the impression of being, for causes radioactive, climatic or purely mythical, a hub for fantasy projection.

"Inside these woods," the guide states, "the division between fact and fiction is very thin."