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"People refer to this spot the Bermuda Triangle of Transylvania," states an experienced guide, his breath producing clouds of condensation in the crisp evening air. "So many visitors have vanished here, many believe there's a gateway to a different realm." Marius is guiding a traveler on a night walk through frequently labeled as the planet's most ghostly forest: Hoia-Baciu, an area covering one square mile of primeval indigenous forest on the outskirts of the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

Centuries of Mystery

Accounts of unusual events here date back centuries – the forest is named after a regional herder who is believed to have disappeared in the distant past, along with two hundred animals. But Hoia-Baciu came to international attention in 1968, when an army specialist called Emil Barnea took a picture of what he claimed was a flying saucer hovering above a round opening in the centre of the forest.

Countless ventured inside and vanished without trace. But don't worry," he continues, addressing his guest with a smile. "Our guided walks have a flawless completion rate."

In the decades since, Hoia-Baciu has attracted yoga practitioners, traditional medicine people, extraterrestrial investigators and ghost hunters from worldwide, curious to experience the unusual forces reported to reverberate through the forest.

Contemporary Dangers

Despite being one of the world's premier hotspots for lovers of the paranormal, the forest is facing danger. The western districts of Cluj-Napoca – an innovative digital cluster of over 400,000 residents, known as the Silicon Valley of the region – are expanding, and real estate firms are advocating for approval to clear the trees to construct residential buildings.

Barring a small area housing regionally uncommon specific tree species, the grove is without conservation status, but Marius hopes that the initiative he was instrumental in creating – a local conservation effort – will help to change that, encouraging the authorities to recognise the forest's importance as a tourist attraction.

Spooky Experiences

When small sticks and autumn leaves break and crackle beneath their footwear, the guide describes some of the local legends and reported paranormal happenings here.

• A popular tale describes a young child disappearing during a family outing, only to return five years later with complete amnesia of what had happened, having not aged a day, her garments without the slightest speck of dirt.
• Frequent accounts describe cellphones and photography gear mysteriously turning off on venturing inside.
• Reactions range from complete terror to moments of euphoria.
• Various visitors claim observing bizarre skin irritations on their bodies, perceiving unseen murmurs through the forest, or sense palms pushing them, although sure they are alone.

Study Attempts

While many of the stories may be impossible to confirm, there is much clearly observable that is certainly unusual. Throughout the area are plants whose stems are bent and twisted into unusual forms.

Different theories have been given to clarify the misshapen plants: powerful storms could have shaped the young trees, or inherently elevated radioactivity in the earth explain their crooked growth.

But scientific investigations have discovered no satisfactory evidence.

The Famous Clearing

The expert's excursions enable guests to take part in a little scientific inquiry of their own. When nearing the opening in the trees where Barnea took his well-known UFO pictures, he passes the visitor an EMF meter which registers energy patterns.

"We're entering the most energetic part of the forest," he states. "See what you can find."

The trees suddenly stop dead as they step into a complete ring. The sole vegetation is the short grass beneath our feet; it's clear that it's not maintained, and appears that this unusual opening is wild, not the creation of human hands.

Fact Versus Fiction

Transylvania generally is a place which fuels fantasy, where the division is blurred between truth and myth. In rural Romanian communities belief persists in strigoi ("screamers") – undead, form-changing bloodsuckers, who return from burial sites to haunt nearby villages.

The novelist's well-known character Dracula is permanently linked with Transylvania, and the historic stronghold – a Saxon monolith perched on a cliff edge in the mountain range – is keenly marketed as "the vampire's home".

But even legend-filled Transylvania – truly, "the place beyond the forest" – appears real and understandable in contrast to this spooky forest, which seem to be, for reasons radioactive, climatic or simply folkloric, a center for creative energy.

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