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"Locals dub this spot the Bermuda Triangle of Transylvania," states a tour guide, his breath producing wisps of condensation in the cold evening air. "So many visitors have disappeared here, some say there's a gateway to a different realm." This expert is escorting a guest on a nocturnal tour through frequently labeled as the world's most haunted forest: Hoia-Baciu, a square mile of primeval local woods on the edges of the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

A Long History of the Unexplained

Reports of unusual events here go back centuries – the grove is named after a local shepherd who is said to have vanished in the long ago, accompanied by his entire flock. But Hoia-Baciu gained worldwide fame in 1968, when a defense worker known as Emil Barnea took a picture of what he described as a UFO floating above a round opening in the middle of the forest.

Countless ventured inside and failed to return. But don't worry," he continues, facing the traveler with a grin. "Our guided walks have a 100% return rate."

In the decades since, Hoia-Baciu has brought in meditation experts, shamans, ufologists and supernatural researchers from worldwide, eager to feel the strange energies believed to resonate through the forest.

Current Risks

Although it is a top global hotspots for lovers of the paranormal, the forest is facing danger. The western districts of Cluj-Napoca – a modern tech hub of a population exceeding 400,000, called the innovation center of the region – are encroaching, and developers are pushing for approval to cut down the woods to build apartment blocks.

Except for a limited section containing area-specific Mediterranean oak trees, the grove is not officially protected, but the guide hopes that the initiative he helped establish – the Hoia-Baciu Project – will help to change that, encouraging the government officials to appreciate the forest's value as a travel hotspot.

Spooky Experiences

When small sticks and autumn leaves snap and crunch beneath their boots, Marius tells numerous folk tales and claimed ghostly incidents here.

• One famous story describes a young child going missing during a group gathering, then to return half a decade later with no recollection of the events, having not aged a day, her attire lacking the slightest speck of dirt.
• Regular stories explain mobile phones and photography gear unexpectedly failing on venturing inside.
• Emotional responses vary from full-blown dread to moments of euphoria.
• Some people claim noticing strange rashes on their skin, perceiving disembodied whispers through the forest, or experience fingers clutching them, although convinced they're by themselves.

Scientific Investigations

While many of the accounts may be hard to prove, there are many things before my eyes that is definitely bizarre. All around are plants whose trunks are bent and twisted into unusual forms.

Different theories have been given to account for the abnormal growth: that hurricane winds could have shaped the young trees, or naturally high radioactivity in the ground account for their unusual development.

But scientific investigations have turned up no satisfactory evidence.

The Notorious Meadow

The expert's walks permit guests to take part in a modest investigation of their own. Upon reaching the opening in the woods where Barnea captured his famous UFO images, he hands the visitor an ghost-hunting device which detects energy patterns.

"We're stepping into the most energetic area of the forest," he comments. "Discover what's here."

The plants abruptly end as the group enters into a perfect circle. The only greenery is the low vegetation beneath their shoes; it's obvious that it hasn't been mown, and seems that this unusual opening is natural, not the creation of human hands.

Between Reality and Imagination

Transylvania generally is a location which inspires creativity, where the border is blurred between truth and myth. In countryside villages belief persists in strigoi ("screamers") – supernatural, appearance-altering creatures, who return from burial sites to terrorise regional populations.

Bram Stoker's renowned vampire Count Dracula is always connected with Transylvania, and Bran Castle – a Saxon monolith situated on a rocky outcrop in the Carpathian Mountains – is keenly marketed as "Dracula's Castle".

But including myth-shrouded Transylvania – actually, "the land past the woods" – appears real and understandable compared to this spooky forest, which give the impression of being, for factors radioactive, climatic or purely mythical, a center for creative energy.

"In Hoia-Baciu," Marius says, "the division between reality and imagination is remarkably blurred."