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"Locals dub this spot the Bermuda Triangle of Transylvania," remarks a local guide, the air from his lungs producing clouds of vapor in the crisp evening air. "Numerous individuals have disappeared here, it's thought it's a portal to a different realm." This expert is escorting a traveler on a evening stroll through commonly known as the world's most haunted forest: Hoia-Baciu, a section spanning 640 acres of old-growth native woodland on the fringes of the metropolis of Cluj-Napoca.

Hundreds of Years of Enigma

Accounts of bizarre occurrences here go back centuries – the forest is named after a local shepherd who is said to have vanished in the far-off times, along with his entire flock. But Hoia-Baciu achieved international attention in 1968, when an army specialist called Emil Barnea captured on film what he described as a UFO hovering above a circular clearing in the centre of the forest.

Many came in here and failed to return. But no need to fear," he states, facing the visitor with a smile. "Our tours have a 100% return rate."

In the decades since, Hoia-Baciu has drawn meditation experts, spiritual healers, extraterrestrial investigators and paranormal investigators from across the world, curious to experience the strange energies reported to reverberate through the forest.

Current Risks

It may be one of the world's premier pilgrimage sites for paranormal enthusiasts, this woodland is under threat. The outlying areas of Cluj-Napoca – a modern tech hub of over 400,000 residents, described as the Silicon Valley of eastern Europe – are expanding, and real estate firms are advocating for permission to clear the trees to erect housing complexes.

Aside from a few hectares home to area-specific oak varieties, the grove is not officially protected, but Marius believes that the company he was instrumental in creating – a local conservation effort – will contribute to improving the situation, persuading the government officials to appreciate the forest's importance as a visitor destination.

Chilling Events

As twigs and fall foliage split and rustle beneath their boots, Marius describes some of the traditional stories and claimed ghostly incidents here.

• One famous story recounts a young child going missing during a family picnic, later to rematerialise after five years with complete amnesia of what had happened, without aging a day, her garments without the slightest speck of dust.
• Regular stories detail cellphones and camera equipment unexpectedly failing on stepping into the forest.
• Emotional responses include complete terror to states of ecstasy.
• Some people claim seeing bizarre skin irritations on their bodies, detecting ghostly voices through the forest, or sense hands grabbing them, despite being certain nobody is nearby.

Scientific Investigations

While many of the tales may be hard to prove, numerous elements clearly observable that is definitely bizarre. Everywhere you look are vegetation whose stems are warped and gnarled into unusual forms.

Multiple explanations have been suggested to clarify the misshapen plants: powerful storms could have shaped the young trees, or inherently elevated radiation levels in the ground explain their unusual development.

But formal examinations have discovered insufficient proof.

The Famous Clearing

Marius's excursions enable guests to participate in a little scientific inquiry of their own. When nearing the opening in the trees where Barnea photographed his well-known UFO pictures, he hands the traveler an ghost-hunting device which measures electromagnetic fields.

"We're stepping into the most powerful part of the forest," he states. "See what you can find."

The vegetation immediately cease as we emerge into a perfect circle. The sole vegetation is the short grass beneath their shoes; it's clear that it's not maintained, and appears that this strange clearing is organic, not the creation of people.

The Blurred Line

This part of Romania is a area which stirs the imagination, where the border is indistinct between reality and legend. In rural Romanian communities belief persists in strigoi ("screamers") – otherworldly, shapeshifting bloodsuckers, who rise from their graves to frighten nearby villages.

The novelist's renowned vampire Count Dracula is always connected with Transylvania, and the legendary fortress – a Saxon monolith situated on a rocky outcrop in the Carpathian Mountains – is actively advertised as "Dracula's Castle".

But even legend-filled Transylvania – literally, "the territory after the grove" – feels solid and predictable versus this spooky forest, which give the impression of being, for reasons nuclear, environmental or entirely legendary, a center for human imaginative power.

"Within this forest," the guide comments, "the boundary between reality and imagination is extremely fine."