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"People refer to this spot the Bermuda Triangle of Transylvania," remarks an experienced guide, his exhalation producing puffs of condensation in the cold night air. "Countless visitors have disappeared here, many believe it's an entrance to another dimension." Marius is leading a traveler on a nocturnal tour through commonly known as the globe's spookiest woodland: Hoia-Baciu, an area covering one square mile of primeval native woodland on the edges of the Transylvanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

Centuries of Mystery

Accounts 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, accompanied by 200 of his sheep. But Hoia-Baciu achieved global recognition in 1968, when a military technician called Emil Barnea photographed what he reported as a flying saucer floating above a round opening in the heart of the forest.

Many came in here and failed to return. But don't worry," he continues, turning to the visitor with a smile. "Our guided walks have a perfect safety record."

In the years that followed, Hoia-Baciu has brought in yoga practitioners, spiritual healers, ufologists and supernatural researchers from across the world, curious to experience the strange energies believed to resonate through the forest.

Modern Threats

Although it is among the planet's leading hotspots for paranormal enthusiasts, the forest is at risk. The western suburbs of Cluj-Napoca – an innovative digital cluster of over 400,000 residents, described as the innovation center of eastern Europe – are expanding, and real estate firms are advocating for permission to clear the trees to build apartment blocks.

Aside from a small area housing regionally uncommon oak varieties, the forest is without conservation status, but the guide is confident that the organization he was instrumental in creating – a dedicated preservation group – will contribute to improving the situation, persuading the government officials to acknowledge the forest's significance as a travel hotspot.

Chilling Events

As twigs and seasonal debris split and rustle beneath their footwear, the guide describes numerous local legends and reported ghostly incidents here.

• A well-known account tells of a five-year-old girl disappearing during a group gathering, then to reappear half a decade later with no memory of her experience, showing no signs of aging a day, her garments lacking the tiniest bit of dirt.
• Regular stories detail mobile phones and camera equipment mysteriously turning off on venturing inside.
• Reactions range from absolute fear to feelings of joy.
• Certain individuals report noticing unusual marks on their bodies, hearing disembodied whispers through the forest, or sense fingers clutching them, even when sure they are alone.

Research Efforts

Although numerous of the stories may be unverifiable, there are many things clearly observable that is definitely bizarre. Everywhere you look are plants whose trunks are bent and twisted into unusual forms.

Different theories have been given to clarify the deformed trees: powerful storms could have bent the saplings, or typically increased radioactivity in the earth explain their unusual development.

But formal examinations have turned up inconclusive results.

The Notorious Meadow

The guide's excursions allow guests to participate in a little scientific inquiry of their own. As we approach the opening in the woods where Barnea photographed his renowned UFO pictures, he passes his guest an EMF meter which registers energy patterns.

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

The plants immediately cease as they step into a perfect circle. The single plant life is the low vegetation beneath the ground; it's clear that it hasn't been mown, and looks that this unusual opening is natural, not the work of landscaping.

The Blurred Line

The broader region is a area which stirs the imagination, where the division is blurred between truth and myth. In traditional settlements belief persists in strigoi ("screamers") – undead, appearance-altering vampires, who emerge from tombs to frighten nearby villages.

Bram Stoker's famous vampire Count Dracula is permanently linked with Transylvania, and the historic stronghold – a Saxon monolith perched on a cliff edge in the Carpathian Mountains – is heavily promoted as "Dracula's Castle".

But including myth-shrouded Transylvania – truly, "the land past the woods" – appears real and understandable compared to this spooky forest, which give the impression of being, for reasons radioactive, atmospheric or purely mythical, a nexus for fantasy projection.

"Within this forest," Marius says, "the boundary between fact and fiction is remarkably blurred."