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"They call this spot the Bermuda Triangle of Transylvania," explains a local guide, the air from his lungs producing puffs of condensation in the crisp night air. "Numerous visitors have gone missing here, some say there's a gateway to a different realm." This expert is leading a traveler on a evening stroll through frequently labeled as the globe's spookiest forest: Hoia-Baciu, an area covering one square mile of old-growth indigenous forest on the edges of the Transylvanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

A Long History of the Unexplained

Reports of bizarre occurrences here extend back hundreds of years – the grove is titled for a regional herder who is said to have vanished in the far-off times, along with 200 of his sheep. But Hoia-Baciu came to global recognition in 1968, when a defense worker known as Emil Barnea captured on film what he reported as a UFO hovering above a round opening in the middle of the forest.

Numerous entered this place and never came out. But rest assured," he adds, turning to the traveler with a grin. "Our excursions have a 100% return rate."

In the decades since, Hoia-Baciu has attracted yogis, shamans, UFO researchers and ghost hunters from worldwide, eager to feel the strange energies believed to resonate through the forest.

Contemporary Dangers

Although it is among the planet's leading hotspots for paranormal enthusiasts, this woodland is facing danger. The western suburbs of Cluj-Napoca – a modern tech hub of a population exceeding 400,000, called the tech capital of Eastern Europe – are expanding, and developers are advocating for approval to cut down the woods to erect housing complexes.

Aside from a small area home to regionally uncommon specific tree species, the forest is not officially protected, but Marius believes that the initiative he co-founded – the Hoia-Baciu Project – will contribute to improving the situation, persuading the local administrators to recognise the forest's importance as a visitor destination.

Eerie Encounters

As twigs and autumn leaves break and crackle beneath their footwear, Marius recounts numerous local legends and reported supernatural events here.

• A popular tale describes a young child disappearing during a family picnic, then to return half a decade later with complete amnesia of her experience, having not aged a moment, her garments without the slightest speck of dust.
• More common reports detail smartphones and camera equipment unexpectedly failing on entering the woods.
• Reactions range from absolute fear to moments of euphoria.
• Certain individuals state noticing bizarre skin irritations on their arms, perceiving unseen murmurs through the trees, or feel palms pushing them, although sure they are alone.

Scientific Investigations

Despite several of the stories may be impossible to confirm, numerous elements before my eyes that is certainly unusual. Everywhere you look are plants whose trunks are bent and twisted into unusual forms.

Different theories have been proposed to clarify the deformed trees: that hurricane winds could have bent the saplings, or inherently elevated radioactivity in the ground explain their crooked growth.

But research studies have turned up no satisfactory evidence.

The Legendary Opening

Marius's tours enable guests to take part in a little scientific inquiry of their own. As we approach the opening in the forest where Barnea captured his well-known UFO images, he gives his guest an electromagnetic field detector which registers EMF readings.

"We're entering the most energetic area of the forest," he states. "Discover what's here."

The plants abruptly end as they step into a perfect circle. The sole vegetation is the trimmed turf beneath their shoes; it's clear that it's not maintained, and looks that this unusual opening is organic, not the work of people.

The Blurred Line

Transylvania generally is a area which inspires creativity, where the line is unclear between truth and myth. In countryside villages faith continues in strigoi ("screamers") – supernatural, appearance-altering bloodsuckers, who rise from their graves to frighten regional populations.

Bram Stoker's well-known character Dracula is forever associated with Transylvania, and the historic stronghold – a Saxon monolith located on a stone formation in the mountain range – is keenly marketed as "the count's residence".

But despite myth-shrouded Transylvania – actually, "the place beyond the forest" – appears real and understandable versus this spooky forest, which appear to be, for reasons nuclear, atmospheric or entirely legendary, a hub for creative energy.

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