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"They call this location the Bermuda Triangle of Transylvania," explains a tour guide, his exhalation forming wisps of condensation in the cold night air. "Countless visitors have vanished here, it's thought there's a gateway to another dimension." This expert is guiding a traveler on a nocturnal tour through frequently labeled as the globe's spookiest woodland: Hoia-Baciu, a square mile of primeval native woodland on the fringes of the metropolis of Cluj-Napoca.

Hundreds of Years of Enigma

Reports of bizarre occurrences here date back centuries – the grove is titled for a area shepherd who is believed to have disappeared in the long ago, along with two hundred animals. But Hoia-Baciu achieved global recognition in 1968, when a military technician named Emil Barnea took a picture of what he reported 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 don't worry," he adds, addressing the traveler with a smirk. "Our tours have a perfect safety record."

In the years that followed, Hoia-Baciu has drawn yogis, spiritual healers, ufologists and supernatural researchers from across the world, curious to experience the unusual forces believed to resonate through the forest.

Contemporary Dangers

Despite being one of the world's premier destinations for supernatural fans, the grove is under threat. The outlying areas of Cluj-Napoca – a modern tech hub of more than 400,000 people, called the Silicon Valley of eastern Europe – are advancing, and construction companies are campaigning for approval to clear the trees to erect housing complexes.

Aside from a limited section home to locally rare specific tree species, the grove is lacking legal protection, but the guide believes that the company he helped establish – the Hoia-Baciu Project – will assist in altering this, motivating the local administrators to appreciate the forest's importance as a tourist attraction.

Spooky Experiences

As twigs and seasonal debris split and rustle beneath their shoes, Marius recounts numerous local legends and alleged ghostly incidents here.

• A popular tale tells of a little girl going missing during a family outing, later to rematerialise after five years with no recollection of the events, having not aged a single day, her garments without the slightest speck of dust.
• Regular stories describe cellphones and imaging devices unexpectedly failing on venturing inside.
• Feelings range from absolute fear to moments of euphoria.
• Certain individuals state observing unusual marks on their arms, perceiving unseen murmurs through the woodland, or sense hands grabbing them, although convinced they're by themselves.

Study Attempts

While many of the tales may be unverifiable, numerous elements before my eyes that is certainly unusual. All around are plants whose trunks are curved and contorted into fantastical shapes.

Different theories have been given to explain the deformed trees: that hurricane winds could have bent the saplings, or inherently elevated radiation levels in the soil explain their crooked growth.

But research studies have discovered no satisfactory evidence.

The Legendary Opening

The expert's tours allow participants to participate in a small-scale research of their own. Upon reaching the meadow in the woods where Barnea photographed his famous UFO images, he gives the traveler an EMF meter which detects EMF readings.

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

The trees suddenly stop dead as they step into a flawless round. The only greenery is the short grass beneath the ground; it's obvious that it's not maintained, and looks that this strange clearing is organic, not the work of landscaping.

Fact Versus Fiction

Transylvania generally is a location which stirs the imagination, where the line is unclear between truth and myth. In traditional settlements faith continues in strigoi ("screamers") – undead, appearance-altering creatures, who rise from their graves to frighten nearby villages.

Bram Stoker's renowned character Dracula is always connected with Transylvania, and the historic stronghold – a medieval building perched on a rocky outcrop in the Carpathian Mountains – is heavily promoted as "Dracula's Castle".

But despite myth-shrouded Transylvania – actually, "the territory after the grove" – seems real and understandable in contrast to this spooky forest, which appear to be, for reasons radioactive, atmospheric or simply folkloric, a hub for human imaginative power.

"In Hoia-Baciu," Marius says, "the line between reality and imagination is remarkably blurred."