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"Locals dub this location the Bermuda Triangle of Transylvania," states a local guide, his breath forming wisps of condensation in the crisp night air. "Numerous people have gone missing here, some say there's a gateway to another dimension." Marius is escorting a traveler on a nocturnal tour through what is often described as the world's most haunted woodland: Hoia-Baciu, a section spanning 640 acres of ancient native woodland on the fringes of the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

A Long History of the Unexplained

Stories of bizarre occurrences here go back a long time – this woodland is titled for a local shepherd who is said to have vanished in the distant past, accompanied by 200 of his sheep. But Hoia-Baciu came to worldwide fame in 1968, when an army specialist called Emil Barnea took a picture of what he described as a flying saucer suspended above a round opening in the middle of the forest.

Countless ventured inside and vanished without trace. But no need to fear," he adds, addressing his guest with a smile. "Our guided walks have a 100% return rate."

In the time after, Hoia-Baciu has brought in meditation experts, shamans, extraterrestrial investigators and ghost hunters from around the globe, curious to experience the strange energies said to echo through the forest.

Contemporary Dangers

It may be one of the world's premier hotspots for supernatural fans, the forest is at risk. The outlying areas of Cluj-Napoca – an innovative digital cluster of over 400,000 residents, called the tech capital of the region – are encroaching, and construction companies are pushing for authorization to clear the trees to erect housing complexes.

Aside from a few hectares housing area-specific specific tree species, this woodland is lacking legal protection, but the guide is confident that the initiative he was instrumental in creating – a local conservation effort – will assist in altering this, encouraging the authorities to recognise the forest's importance as a travel hotspot.

Eerie Encounters

While branches and autumn leaves break and crackle beneath their boots, Marius recounts numerous local legends and reported ghostly incidents here.

• A well-known account tells of a little girl going missing during a family outing, later to rematerialise half a decade later with no memory of the events, without aging a single day, her clothes without the tiniest bit of dust.
• Regular stories explain cellphones and photography gear unexpectedly failing on venturing inside.
• Feelings include complete terror to feelings of joy.
• Certain individuals state observing strange rashes on their arms, perceiving ghostly voices through the woodland, or sense hands grabbing them, even when certain nobody is nearby.

Scientific Investigations

Although numerous of the accounts may be hard to prove, there are many things clearly observable that is certainly unusual. Throughout the area are vegetation whose stems are warped and gnarled into bizarre configurations.

Different theories have been given to explain the deformed trees: that hurricane winds could have shaped the young trees, or typically increased radiation levels in the earth cause their strange formation.

But scientific investigations have turned up no satisfactory evidence.

The Famous Clearing

Marius's walks permit visitors to take part in a modest investigation of their own. As we approach the opening in the woods where Barnea captured his renowned UFO images, he gives the visitor an EMF meter which registers energy patterns.

"We're venturing into the most energetic section of the forest," he states. "See what you can find."

The trees immediately cease as the group enters into a flawless round. The sole vegetation is the low vegetation beneath their shoes; it's apparent that it's naturally occurring, and looks that this strange clearing is wild, not the work of people.

Between Reality and Imagination

The broader region is a place which fuels fantasy, where the line is unclear between truth and myth. In countryside villages belief persists in strigoi ("screamers") – undead, shapeshifting bloodsuckers, who rise from their graves to haunt regional populations.

The novelist's well-known vampire Count Dracula is forever associated with Transylvania, and the legendary fortress – a medieval building situated on a stone formation in the Transylvanian Alps – is actively advertised as "Dracula's Castle".

But despite myth-shrouded Transylvania – actually, "the place beyond the forest" – seems tangible and comprehensible compared to these eerie woods, which give the impression of being, for causes radioactive, climatic or purely mythical, a hub for human imaginative power.

"Within this forest," the guide states, "the division between reality and imagination is very thin."