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"Locals dub this place the Bermuda Triangle of Transylvania," remarks a local guide, his exhalation creating puffs of mist in the cold dusk atmosphere. "Numerous individuals have vanished here, many believe there's a gateway to another dimension." This expert is guiding a visitor on a nocturnal tour through what is often described as the globe's spookiest grove: 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

Accounts of bizarre occurrences here date back hundreds of years – the forest is called after a area shepherd who is reportedly went missing in the far-off times, accompanied by two hundred animals. But Hoia-Baciu achieved international attention in 1968, when a defense worker named Emil Barnea photographed what he claimed was a UFO suspended above a round opening in the centre of the forest.

Countless ventured inside and vanished without trace. But no need to fear," he continues, facing his guest with a smile. "Our guided walks have a perfect safety record."

In the years that followed, Hoia-Baciu has attracted meditation experts, shamans, ufologists and ghost hunters from across the world, curious to experience the mysterious powers said to echo through the forest.

Current Risks

It may be a top global destinations for lovers of the paranormal, this woodland is under threat. The western suburbs of Cluj-Napoca – a modern tech hub of over 400,000 residents, called the Silicon Valley of eastern Europe – are advancing, and developers are advocating for permission to clear the trees to build apartment blocks.

Barring a few hectares housing locally rare Mediterranean oak trees, this woodland is not officially protected, but Marius is confident that the organization he was instrumental in creating – the Hoia-Baciu Project – will assist in altering this, motivating the government officials to appreciate the forest's value as a travel hotspot.

Chilling Events

When small sticks and autumn leaves break and crackle beneath their boots, Marius recounts numerous local legends and claimed ghostly incidents here.

• A popular tale describes a five-year-old girl going missing during a family outing, only to reappear after five years with complete amnesia of what had happened, showing no signs of aging a moment, her clothes lacking the slightest speck of dirt.
• More common reports describe smartphones and camera equipment unexpectedly failing on venturing inside.
• Feelings range from full-blown dread to states of ecstasy.
• Various visitors state seeing strange rashes on their arms, hearing unseen murmurs through the trees, or sense hands grabbing them, despite being convinced they're by themselves.

Research Efforts

Despite several of the accounts may be unverifiable, there is much clearly observable that is definitely bizarre. All around are vegetation whose bases are bent and twisted into unusual forms.

Different theories have been given to clarify the abnormal growth: powerful storms could have shaped the young trees, or typically increased radiation levels in the soil account for their crooked growth.

But formal examinations have found insufficient proof.

The Legendary Opening

The expert's excursions enable visitors to take part in a little scientific inquiry of their own. When nearing the clearing in the forest where Barnea captured his well-known UFO images, he passes his guest an ghost-hunting device which registers EMF readings.

"We're stepping into the most energetic part of the forest," he says. "Try to detect something."

The plants immediately cease as we emerge into a flawless round. The sole vegetation is the trimmed turf beneath our feet; it's obvious that it's not maintained, and looks that this strange clearing is organic, not the result of people.

Fact Versus Fiction

The broader region is a location which stirs the imagination, where the border is blurred between fact and folklore. In traditional settlements belief persists in strigoi ("screamers") – otherworldly, shapeshifting vampires, who rise from their graves to terrorise local communities.

The novelist's well-known vampire Count Dracula is permanently linked with Transylvania, and Bran Castle – an ancient structure perched on a cliff edge in the Transylvanian Alps – is heavily promoted as "the vampire's home".

But despite myth-shrouded Transylvania – actually, "the territory after the grove" – appears real and understandable versus this spooky forest, which appear to be, for causes radioactive, environmental or purely mythical, a center for fantasy projection.

"In Hoia-Baciu," the guide states, "the division between fact and fiction is remarkably blurred."