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"They call this spot the Bermuda Triangle of Transylvania," explains an experienced guide, his breath forming clouds of mist in the crisp evening air. "So many visitors have vanished here, many believe it's a portal to another dimension." This expert is escorting a visitor on a nocturnal tour through frequently labeled as the globe's spookiest woodland: Hoia-Baciu, a square mile of primeval local woods on the outskirts of the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

Centuries of Mystery

Accounts of unusual events here date back a long time – this woodland is titled for a regional herder who is said to have vanished in the long ago, together with his entire flock. But Hoia-Baciu came to worldwide fame in 1968, when an army specialist called Emil Barnea captured on film what he reported as a unidentified flying object floating above a circular clearing in the heart of the forest.

Many came in here and vanished without trace. But rest assured," he continues, facing the traveler with a grin. "Our tours have a 100% return rate."

In the time after, Hoia-Baciu has attracted yoga practitioners, traditional medicine people, UFO researchers and ghost hunters from worldwide, curious to experience the strange energies believed to resonate through the forest.

Current Risks

Despite being a top global pilgrimage sites for paranormal enthusiasts, the grove is facing danger. The western suburbs of Cluj-Napoca – a modern tech hub of a population exceeding 400,000, described as the Silicon Valley of the region – are advancing, and developers are advocating for permission to cut down the woods to build apartment blocks.

Aside from a small area housing area-specific Mediterranean oak trees, this woodland is without conservation status, but Marius hopes that the organization he helped establish – a local conservation effort – will contribute to improving the situation, encouraging the local administrators to appreciate the forest's importance as a tourist attraction.

Spooky Experiences

When small sticks and fall foliage break and crackle beneath their boots, Marius describes some of the traditional stories and reported ghostly incidents here.

• One famous story tells of a young child vanishing during a family picnic, later to rematerialise after five years with complete amnesia of the events, showing no signs of aging a day, her garments without the slightest speck of soil.
• Frequent accounts explain cellphones and photography gear inexplicably shutting down on entering the woods.
• Reactions vary from absolute fear to states of ecstasy.
• Some people state observing unusual marks on their bodies, detecting disembodied whispers through the woodland, or experience hands grabbing them, even when sure they are alone.

Research Efforts

Although numerous of the tales may be impossible to confirm, there is much visibly present that is definitely bizarre. Everywhere you look are vegetation whose trunks are bent and twisted into unusual forms.

Various suggestions have been given to clarify the abnormal growth: powerful storms could have bent the saplings, or inherently elevated radiation levels in the soil explain their strange formation.

But formal examinations have turned up no satisfactory evidence.

The Notorious Meadow

The guide's walks allow visitors to participate in a small-scale research of their own. As we approach the clearing in the trees where Barnea captured his renowned UFO photographs, he hands the visitor an EMF meter which detects electromagnetic fields.

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

The plants abruptly end as we emerge into a complete ring. The sole vegetation is the trimmed turf beneath the ground; it's clear that it's naturally occurring, and looks that this strange clearing is natural, not the result of human hands.

Between Reality and Imagination

The broader region is a location which fuels fantasy, where the line is unclear between reality and legend. In traditional settlements faith continues in strigoi ("screamers") – otherworldly, form-changing creatures, who emerge from tombs to terrorise regional populations.

The novelist's well-known fictional vampire is permanently linked with Transylvania, and the legendary fortress – an ancient structure located on a cliff edge in the mountain range – is keenly marketed as "the count's residence".

But including legend-filled Transylvania – truly, "the territory after the grove" – seems real and understandable versus these eerie woods, which seem to be, for factors radioactive, climatic or simply folkloric, a center for creative energy.

"Inside these woods," the guide states, "the division between reality and imagination is remarkably blurred."