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"People refer to this place the Bermuda Triangle of Transylvania," explains a tour guide, the air from his lungs creating wisps of condensation in the crisp dusk atmosphere. "Numerous people have vanished here, many believe there's a gateway to a different realm." This expert is escorting a guest on a nocturnal tour through what is often described as the globe's spookiest grove: Hoia-Baciu, an area covering one square mile of old-growth indigenous forest on the outskirts of the Transylvanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

Centuries of Mystery

Reports of unusual events here date back centuries – the grove is titled for a regional herder who is reportedly went missing in the distant past, together with two hundred animals. But Hoia-Baciu gained international attention in 1968, when an army specialist known as Emil Barnea photographed what he claimed was a flying saucer floating above a circular clearing in the heart of the forest.

Numerous entered this place and failed to return. But no need to fear," he continues, facing the visitor with a grin. "Our excursions have a flawless completion rate."

In the time after, Hoia-Baciu has drawn meditation experts, shamans, UFO researchers and paranormal investigators from across the world, interested in encountering the unusual forces reported to reverberate through the forest.

Current Risks

Although it is one of the world's premier hotspots for paranormal enthusiasts, the grove is at risk. The outlying areas of Cluj-Napoca – a modern tech hub of over 400,000 residents, described as the Silicon Valley of Eastern Europe – are encroaching, and construction companies are campaigning for approval to remove the forest to construct residential buildings.

Except for a small area containing regionally uncommon Mediterranean oak trees, the grove is not officially protected, but Marius hopes that the organization he co-founded – a dedicated preservation group – will assist in altering this, encouraging the local administrators to acknowledge the forest's significance as a tourist attraction.

Eerie Encounters

As twigs and fall foliage break and crackle beneath their boots, the guide recounts numerous folk tales and reported supernatural events here.

• A popular tale tells of a little girl going missing during a group gathering, only to rematerialise half a decade later with no recollection of her experience, showing no signs of aging a day, her attire shy of the smallest trace of dirt.
• More common reports detail smartphones and camera equipment mysteriously turning off on stepping into the forest.
• Reactions range from absolute fear to states of ecstasy.
• Some people report observing bizarre skin irritations on their skin, detecting disembodied whispers through the trees, or experience palms pushing them, although certain nobody is nearby.

Scientific Investigations

While many of the accounts may be unverifiable, there is much clearly observable that is definitely bizarre. Throughout the area are vegetation whose stems are warped and gnarled into bizarre configurations.

Different theories have been suggested to account for the misshapen plants: strong gales could have shaped the young trees, or typically increased radioactivity in the earth account for their strange formation.

But research studies have found insufficient proof.

The Notorious Meadow

The expert's excursions allow guests to engage in a modest investigation of their own. As we approach the clearing in the woods where Barnea photographed his renowned UFO pictures, he hands the visitor an ghost-hunting device which registers EMF readings.

"We're stepping into the most active part of the forest," he says. "Discover what's here."

The trees immediately cease as the group enters into a flawless round. The single plant life is the trimmed turf beneath their shoes; it's clear that it's naturally occurring, and appears that this bizarre meadow is organic, not the work of landscaping.

Between Reality and Imagination

The broader region is a place which fuels fantasy, where the border is blurred between reality and legend. In rural Romanian communities faith continues in strigoi ("screamers") – otherworldly, appearance-altering vampires, who return from burial sites to haunt local communities.

Bram Stoker's famous vampire Count Dracula is always connected with Transylvania, and Bran Castle – a Saxon monolith situated on a cliff edge in the mountain range – is actively advertised as "the vampire's home".

But including legend-filled Transylvania – literally, "the place beyond the forest" – feels tangible and comprehensible compared to this spooky forest, which give the impression of being, for causes radioactive, environmental or simply folkloric, a center for creative energy.

"Within this forest," Marius says, "the division between truth and fantasy is remarkably blurred."