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"They call this place the Bermuda Triangle of Transylvania," states a tour guide, his breath creating puffs of mist in the crisp evening air. "So many people have gone missing here, some say it's an entrance to a different realm." Marius is leading a traveler on a night walk through commonly known as the planet's most ghostly grove: Hoia-Baciu, a section spanning 640 acres of old-growth local woods on the edges of the metropolis of Cluj-Napoca.

A Long History of the Unexplained

Reports of unusual events here date back hundreds of years – the forest is named after a regional herder who is said to have vanished in the far-off times, accompanied by two hundred animals. But Hoia-Baciu came to global recognition in 1968, when a military technician called Emil Barnea took a picture of what he claimed was a flying saucer hovering above a round opening in the middle of the forest.

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

In the years that followed, Hoia-Baciu has drawn meditation experts, spiritual healers, extraterrestrial investigators and ghost hunters from across the world, curious to experience the strange energies reported to reverberate through the forest.

Current Risks

Despite being a top global destinations for supernatural fans, the grove is facing danger. The western suburbs of Cluj-Napoca – an innovative digital cluster of a population exceeding 400,000, known as the innovation center of the region – are encroaching, and developers are pushing for authorization to remove the forest to build apartment blocks.

Except for a limited section home to area-specific oak varieties, the grove is lacking legal protection, but Marius believes that the initiative he was instrumental in creating – a local conservation effort – will contribute to improving the situation, motivating the government officials to appreciate the forest's significance as a tourist attraction.

Eerie Encounters

When small sticks and seasonal debris split and rustle beneath their footwear, the guide tells various local legends and reported supernatural events here.

• One famous story describes a young child going missing during a family picnic, then to return five years later with no memory of her experience, having not aged a day, her garments lacking the tiniest bit of dust.
• Frequent accounts explain smartphones and camera equipment inexplicably shutting down on venturing inside.
• Reactions range from full-blown dread to feelings of joy.
• Various visitors claim seeing unusual marks on their bodies, hearing ghostly voices through the woodland, or experience palms pushing them, although convinced they're by themselves.

Scientific Investigations

Despite several of the stories may be hard to prove, there is much clearly observable that is certainly unusual. All around are plants whose stems are bent and twisted into bizarre configurations.

Different theories have been suggested to account for the abnormal growth: strong gales could have altered the growth, or naturally high electromagnetic fields in the soil cause their crooked growth.

But scientific investigations have turned up no satisfactory evidence.

The Famous Clearing

Marius's excursions allow visitors to participate in a little scientific inquiry of their own. Upon reaching the meadow in the woods where Barnea photographed his famous UFO images, he gives the visitor an EMF meter which measures electromagnetic fields.

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

The vegetation suddenly stop dead as they step into a perfect circle. The sole vegetation is the short grass beneath our feet; it's apparent that it's not maintained, and looks that this bizarre meadow is wild, not the work of human hands.

Fact Versus Fiction

The broader region is a place which stirs the imagination, where the border is unclear between fact and folklore. In traditional settlements superstition remains in strigoi ("screamers") – supernatural, appearance-altering vampires, who rise from their graves to frighten regional populations.

The famous author's well-known fictional vampire is always connected with Transylvania, and the historic stronghold – a Saxon monolith situated on a stone formation in the mountain range – is heavily promoted as "the count's residence".

But including folklore-rich Transylvania – literally, "the place beyond the forest" – appears solid and predictable compared to these eerie woods, which appear to be, for causes related to radiation, environmental or simply folkloric, a nexus for human imaginative power.

"Within this forest," the guide says, "the boundary between fact and fiction is remarkably blurred."