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"People refer to this spot the Bermuda Triangle of Transylvania," states a local guide, his exhalation creating puffs of condensation in the crisp dusk atmosphere. "So many visitors have vanished here, many believe it's a portal to a parallel world." This expert is leading a traveler on a evening stroll through frequently labeled as the planet's most ghostly grove: Hoia-Baciu, a square mile of primeval local woods on the edges of the metropolis of Cluj-Napoca.

Hundreds of Years of Enigma

Reports of strange happenings here date back a long time – the forest is titled for a area shepherd who is believed to have disappeared in the long ago, together with two hundred animals. But Hoia-Baciu came to worldwide fame in 1968, when an army specialist known as Emil Barnea photographed what he claimed was a flying saucer floating above a oval meadow in the heart of the forest.

Many came in here and never came out. But no need to fear," he states, addressing his guest with a smirk. "Our guided walks have a 100% return rate."

In the years that followed, Hoia-Baciu has attracted yogis, shamans, UFO researchers and ghost hunters from worldwide, curious to experience the strange energies believed to resonate through the forest.

Modern Threats

Despite being one of the world's premier destinations for supernatural fans, the grove is facing danger. The western suburbs of Cluj-Napoca – an innovative digital cluster of a population exceeding 400,000, called the tech capital of the region – are expanding, and real estate firms are advocating for approval to remove the forest to construct residential buildings.

Barring a limited section containing area-specific oak varieties, the grove is without conservation status, but the guide believes that the company he was instrumental in creating – a dedicated preservation group – will help to change that, motivating the local administrators to acknowledge the forest's significance as a tourist attraction.

Eerie Encounters

When small sticks and autumn leaves break and crackle beneath their footwear, Marius tells numerous traditional stories and reported ghostly incidents here.

• A well-known account describes a little girl going missing during a group gathering, later to reappear half a decade later with no recollection of what had happened, showing no signs of aging a day, her garments lacking the tiniest bit of dust.
• Regular stories describe mobile phones and imaging devices inexplicably shutting down on stepping into the forest.
• Feelings range from full-blown dread to states of ecstasy.
• Certain individuals claim noticing unusual marks on their arms, hearing ghostly voices through the forest, or feel hands grabbing them, despite being convinced they're by themselves.

Scientific Investigations

Despite several of the accounts may be hard to prove, there is much before my eyes that is undeniably strange. All around are trees whose bases are warped and gnarled into bizarre configurations.

Various suggestions have been given to clarify the abnormal growth: powerful storms could have bent the saplings, or typically increased radioactivity in the soil explain their unusual development.

But research studies have turned up insufficient proof.

The Legendary Opening

Marius's walks allow participants to engage in a small-scale research of their own. As we approach the opening in the forest where Barnea photographed his well-known UFO photographs, he hands the visitor an ghost-hunting device which measures electromagnetic fields.

"We're venturing into the most energetic section of the forest," he comments. "Discover what's here."

The trees abruptly end as we emerge into a perfect circle. The single plant life is the trimmed turf beneath their shoes; it's apparent that it's naturally occurring, and looks that this bizarre meadow is organic, not the work of human hands.

The Blurred Line

This part of Romania is a area which inspires creativity, where the line is indistinct between truth and myth. In rural Romanian communities belief persists in strigoi ("screamers") – supernatural, shapeshifting creatures, who rise from their graves to frighten local communities.

The famous author's famous fictional vampire is always connected with Transylvania, and the historic stronghold – a medieval building perched on a cliff edge in the Carpathian Mountains – is keenly marketed as "the vampire's home".

But even legend-filled Transylvania – truly, "the territory after the grove" – feels real and understandable compared to the haunted grove, which appear to be, for reasons related to radiation, environmental or entirely legendary, a center for human imaginative power.

"Inside these woods," the guide says, "the division between reality and imagination is very thin."