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"Locals dub this spot the Bermuda Triangle of Transylvania," explains a tour guide, the air from his lungs creating wisps of vapor in the crisp dusk atmosphere. "Numerous individuals have vanished here, many believe it's an entrance to another dimension." This expert is guiding a guest on a night walk through commonly known as the planet's most ghostly woodland: Hoia-Baciu, a square mile of primeval local woods on the fringes of the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

A Long History of the Unexplained

Stories of unusual events here go back centuries – the forest is called after a regional herder who is reportedly went missing in the long ago, accompanied by two hundred animals. But Hoia-Baciu gained global recognition in 1968, when a defense worker named Emil Barnea photographed what he claimed was a unidentified flying object suspended above a round opening in the heart of the forest.

Numerous entered this place and vanished without trace. But rest assured," he states, addressing the traveler with a grin. "Our tours have a 100% return rate."

In the decades since, Hoia-Baciu has attracted yoga practitioners, shamans, extraterrestrial investigators and supernatural researchers from across the world, eager to feel the mysterious powers said to echo through the forest.

Contemporary Dangers

Despite being among the planet's leading pilgrimage sites for paranormal enthusiasts, the forest is under threat. The western districts of Cluj-Napoca – a contemporary technology center of more than 400,000 people, described as the Silicon Valley of Eastern Europe – are advancing, and real estate firms are campaigning for permission to cut down the woods to build apartment blocks.

Barring a few hectares containing area-specific oak varieties, this woodland is lacking legal protection, but Marius is confident that the initiative he was instrumental in creating – the Hoia-Baciu Project – will contribute to improving the situation, persuading the local administrators to appreciate the forest's value as a tourist attraction.

Spooky Experiences

When small sticks and fall foliage snap and crunch beneath their boots, the guide recounts some of the traditional stories and claimed paranormal happenings here.

• A popular tale recounts a young child vanishing during a family picnic, then to reappear half a decade later with no memory of what had happened, having not aged a single day, her garments without the smallest trace of dirt.
• Regular stories describe smartphones and camera equipment mysteriously turning off on venturing inside.
• Reactions vary from full-blown dread to moments of euphoria.
• Some people report seeing strange rashes on their bodies, detecting ghostly voices through the woodland, or feel palms pushing them, even when certain nobody is nearby.

Research Efforts

Although numerous of the accounts may be unverifiable, there is much visibly present that is undeniably strange. Throughout the area are vegetation whose bases are warped and gnarled into unusual forms.

Different theories have been suggested to clarify the deformed trees: strong gales could have altered the growth, or inherently elevated radiation levels in the soil cause their strange formation.

But research studies have discovered inconclusive results.

The Legendary Opening

Marius's tours permit visitors to engage in a small-scale research of their own. As we approach the meadow in the woods where Barnea photographed his famous UFO images, he gives the visitor an electromagnetic field detector which detects energy patterns.

"We're stepping into the most powerful part of the forest," he states. "See what you can find."

The vegetation immediately cease as we emerge into a complete ring. The single plant life is the short grass beneath the ground; it's apparent that it hasn't been mown, and looks that this bizarre meadow is wild, not the work of human hands.

The Blurred Line

The broader region is a location which inspires creativity, where the line is unclear between reality and legend. In traditional settlements belief persists in strigoi ("screamers") – otherworldly, form-changing bloodsuckers, who emerge from tombs to terrorise regional populations.

Bram Stoker's well-known fictional vampire is permanently linked with Transylvania, and Bran Castle – a medieval building situated on a rocky outcrop in the Carpathian Mountains – is keenly marketed as "the count's residence".

But including legend-filled Transylvania – truly, "the land past the woods" – feels tangible and comprehensible versus this spooky forest, which appear to be, for factors nuclear, atmospheric or purely mythical, a center for human imaginative power.

"In Hoia-Baciu," the guide comments, "the line between reality and imagination is very thin."