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"They call this spot the Bermuda Triangle of Transylvania," states a local guide, the air from his lungs forming puffs of mist in the cold night air. "Numerous visitors have vanished here, some say it's a portal to a parallel world." This expert is escorting a visitor on a night walk through frequently labeled as the planet's most ghostly woodland: Hoia-Baciu, a section spanning 640 acres of primeval local woods on the edges of the Transylvanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

Hundreds of Years of Enigma

Stories of strange happenings here date back centuries – the forest is named after a area shepherd who is believed to have disappeared in the long ago, together with his entire flock. But Hoia-Baciu achieved global recognition in 1968, when an army specialist called Emil Barnea took a picture of what he reported as a flying saucer suspended above a round opening in the heart of the forest.

Numerous entered this place and vanished without trace. But don't worry," he continues, turning to the traveler with a smile. "Our excursions have a 100% return rate."

In the decades since, Hoia-Baciu has drawn meditation experts, traditional medicine people, UFO researchers and ghost hunters from worldwide, interested in encountering the strange energies reported to reverberate through the forest.

Modern Threats

Despite being among the planet's leading destinations for supernatural fans, the forest is under threat. The western districts of Cluj-Napoca – a modern tech hub of more than 400,000 people, known as the innovation center of eastern Europe – are advancing, and construction companies are advocating for approval to cut down the woods to construct residential buildings.

Aside from a few hectares home to area-specific specific tree species, this woodland is lacking legal protection, but the guide believes that the organization he was instrumental in creating – the Hoia-Baciu Project – will help to change that, encouraging the government officials to acknowledge the forest's value as a tourist attraction.

Spooky Experiences

While branches and autumn leaves snap and crunch beneath their boots, the guide describes various local legends and claimed paranormal happenings here.

• A popular tale describes a young child going missing during a group gathering, then to reappear after five years with no recollection of her experience, having not aged a moment, her garments shy of the smallest trace of dust.
• Regular stories detail mobile phones and imaging devices inexplicably shutting down on venturing inside.
• Reactions range from full-blown dread to feelings of joy.
• Some people report noticing bizarre skin irritations on their skin, hearing ghostly voices through the woodland, or sense hands grabbing them, although certain nobody is nearby.

Research Efforts

Despite several of the accounts may be hard to prove, there are many things before my eyes that is undeniably strange. Everywhere you look are plants whose stems are warped and gnarled into unusual forms.

Different theories have been suggested to account for the abnormal growth: powerful storms could have altered the growth, or inherently elevated radiation levels in the soil account for their crooked growth.

But scientific investigations have turned up inconclusive results.

The Notorious Meadow

The expert's tours permit visitors to take part in a little scientific inquiry of their own. As we approach the opening in the trees where Barnea photographed his famous UFO pictures, he passes the visitor an ghost-hunting device which measures energy patterns.

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

The trees immediately cease as we emerge into a perfect circle. The only greenery is the short grass beneath their shoes; it's apparent that it's not maintained, and appears that this strange clearing is organic, not the result of people.

The Blurred Line

This part of Romania is a place which fuels fantasy, where the border is indistinct between truth and myth. In rural Romanian communities faith continues in strigoi ("screamers") – undead, appearance-altering vampires, who emerge from tombs to haunt regional populations.

Bram Stoker's well-known vampire Count Dracula is always connected with Transylvania, and Bran Castle – a Saxon monolith located on a rocky outcrop in the Carpathian Mountains – is keenly marketed as "the count's residence".

But despite legend-filled Transylvania – actually, "the land past the woods" – seems tangible and comprehensible in contrast to these eerie woods, which seem to be, for factors related to radiation, environmental or simply folkloric, a hub for creative energy.

"Inside these woods," the guide states, "the boundary between fact and fiction is extremely fine."