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"People refer to this spot the Bermuda Triangle of Transylvania," states a local guide, his exhalation creating clouds of mist in the crisp dusk atmosphere. "So many people have gone missing here, some say it's an entrance to a parallel world." Marius is escorting a guest on a night walk through what is often described as the world's most haunted forest: Hoia-Baciu, a square mile of primeval indigenous forest on the fringes of the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

A Long History of the Unexplained

Accounts of bizarre occurrences here extend back hundreds of years – the forest is called after a regional herder who is said to have vanished in the far-off times, along with two hundred animals. But Hoia-Baciu gained global recognition in 1968, when a defense worker named Emil Barnea photographed what he described as a unidentified flying object floating above a oval meadow in the heart of the forest.

Many came in here and vanished without trace. But rest assured," he continues, addressing his guest with a grin. "Our excursions have a perfect safety record."

In the decades since, Hoia-Baciu has attracted meditation experts, spiritual healers, extraterrestrial investigators and paranormal investigators from worldwide, curious to experience the strange energies said to echo through the forest.

Modern Threats

It may be among the planet's leading hotspots for lovers of the paranormal, this woodland is at risk. The western suburbs of Cluj-Napoca – a contemporary technology center of more than 400,000 people, called the innovation center of Eastern Europe – are expanding, and real estate firms are campaigning for authorization to cut down the woods to build apartment blocks.

Except for a small area home to regionally uncommon oak varieties, the forest is lacking legal protection, but Marius is confident that the company he was instrumental in creating – a dedicated preservation group – will contribute to improving the situation, persuading the authorities to acknowledge the forest's importance as a travel hotspot.

Chilling Events

While branches and fall foliage snap and crunch beneath their shoes, Marius describes various traditional stories and reported paranormal happenings here.

• One famous story tells of a young child vanishing during a family picnic, only to rematerialise after five years with complete amnesia of the events, showing no signs of aging a moment, her clothes shy of the smallest trace of dirt.
• Regular stories describe mobile phones and photography gear unexpectedly failing on venturing inside.
• Feelings range from absolute fear to moments of euphoria.
• Some people state noticing strange rashes on their skin, perceiving unseen murmurs through the trees, or experience hands grabbing them, despite being sure they are alone.

Study Attempts

Despite several of the accounts may be unverifiable, there is much visibly present that is definitely bizarre. Throughout the area are trees whose trunks are bent and twisted into fantastical shapes.

Multiple explanations have been suggested to clarify the misshapen plants: strong gales could have altered the growth, or typically increased radiation levels in the earth explain their strange formation.

But formal examinations have found insufficient proof.

The Legendary Opening

Marius's tours allow visitors to engage in a modest investigation of their own. As we approach the meadow in the trees where Barnea photographed his famous UFO pictures, he passes the traveler an ghost-hunting device which registers energy patterns.

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

The trees abruptly end as they step into a perfect circle. The sole vegetation is the low vegetation beneath their shoes; it's apparent that it's naturally occurring, and appears that this unusual opening is wild, not the creation of people.

The Blurred Line

This part of Romania is a location which fuels fantasy, where the division is unclear between fact and folklore. In rural Romanian communities belief persists in strigoi ("screamers") – supernatural, shapeshifting bloodsuckers, who return from burial sites to frighten regional populations.

Bram Stoker's well-known vampire Count Dracula is forever associated with Transylvania, and the historic stronghold – an ancient structure located on a cliff edge in the Transylvanian Alps – is heavily promoted as "the count's residence".

But despite myth-shrouded Transylvania – literally, "the place beyond the forest" – seems real and understandable versus the haunted grove, which seem to be, for reasons nuclear, atmospheric or purely mythical, a hub for creative energy.

"Inside these woods," the guide states, "the division between reality and imagination is extremely fine."