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"People refer to this location the Bermuda Triangle of Transylvania," explains a tour guide, the air from his lungs forming puffs of vapor in the cold evening air. "Countless people have gone missing here, many believe there's a gateway to another dimension." The guide is leading a traveler on a night walk through frequently labeled as the globe's spookiest forest: Hoia-Baciu, a section spanning 640 acres of primeval local woods on the outskirts of the metropolis of Cluj-Napoca.

Hundreds of Years of Enigma

Reports of unusual events here extend back centuries – the grove is called after a regional herder who is believed to have disappeared in the distant past, together with 200 of his sheep. But Hoia-Baciu gained international attention in 1968, when a defense worker named Emil Barnea took a picture of what he claimed was a UFO hovering above a circular clearing in the centre of the forest.

Many came in here and never came out. But no need to fear," he adds, addressing the visitor with a grin. "Our guided walks have a 100% return rate."

In the time after, Hoia-Baciu has drawn yoga practitioners, spiritual healers, ufologists and ghost hunters from worldwide, interested in encountering the mysterious powers believed to resonate through the forest.

Current Risks

Although it is a top global pilgrimage sites for paranormal enthusiasts, the grove is at risk. The western districts of Cluj-Napoca – an innovative digital cluster of over 400,000 residents, known as the Silicon Valley of eastern Europe – are expanding, and developers are campaigning for authorization to remove the forest to build apartment blocks.

Aside from a few hectares housing regionally uncommon specific tree species, the grove is not officially protected, but Marius is confident that the company he helped establish – the Hoia-Baciu Project – will contribute to improving the situation, encouraging the government officials to acknowledge the forest's significance as a tourist attraction.

Eerie Encounters

When small sticks and seasonal debris break and crackle beneath their shoes, the guide recounts numerous local legends and claimed ghostly incidents here.

• A popular tale tells of a five-year-old girl vanishing during a family picnic, then to reappear after five years with no memory of her experience, without aging a single day, her garments shy of the tiniest bit of soil.
• Frequent accounts explain mobile phones and camera equipment inexplicably shutting down on entering the woods.
• Emotional responses include absolute fear to moments of euphoria.
• Certain individuals report noticing unusual marks on their bodies, perceiving ghostly voices through the forest, or experience hands grabbing them, despite being sure they are alone.

Scientific Investigations

Although numerous of the accounts may be hard to prove, there is much visibly present that is certainly unusual. All around are plants whose bases are warped and gnarled into unusual forms.

Multiple explanations have been given to account for the misshapen plants: powerful storms could have shaped the young trees, or naturally high radiation levels in the soil account for their strange formation.

But formal examinations have found no satisfactory evidence.

The Legendary Opening

Marius's excursions enable guests to engage in a small-scale research of their own. Upon reaching the meadow in the woods where Barnea photographed his famous UFO pictures, he hands his guest an ghost-hunting device which detects EMF readings.

"We're stepping into the most active part of the forest," he states. "Try to detect something."

The plants immediately cease as the group enters into a perfect circle. The only greenery is the trimmed turf beneath the ground; it's apparent that it hasn't been mown, and appears that this unusual opening is natural, not the work of landscaping.

The Blurred Line

This part of Romania is a place which stirs the imagination, where the line is blurred between reality and legend. In traditional settlements belief persists in strigoi ("screamers") – otherworldly, form-changing creatures, who rise from their graves to frighten regional populations.

The novelist's renowned character Dracula is forever associated with Transylvania, and the historic stronghold – a medieval building situated on a stone formation in the Carpathian Mountains – is keenly marketed as "Dracula's Castle".

But including folklore-rich Transylvania – truly, "the place beyond the forest" – appears tangible and comprehensible in contrast to these eerie woods, which give the impression of being, for causes nuclear, atmospheric or entirely legendary, a hub for fantasy projection.

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