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"People refer to this place the Bermuda Triangle of Transylvania," explains an experienced guide, his exhalation forming wisps of condensation in the crisp dusk atmosphere. "So many individuals have gone missing here, some say it's a portal to a parallel world." The guide is leading a visitor on a nocturnal tour through what is often described as the globe's spookiest woodland: Hoia-Baciu, a square mile of primeval indigenous forest on the outskirts of the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

A Long History of the Unexplained

Stories of unusual events here extend back centuries – this woodland is called after a local shepherd who is believed to have disappeared in the long ago, along with his entire flock. But Hoia-Baciu came to worldwide fame in 1968, when an army specialist called Emil Barnea captured on film what he reported as a flying saucer floating above a round opening in the heart of the forest.

Many came in here and vanished without trace. But rest assured," he adds, turning to his guest with a smirk. "Our tours have a flawless completion rate."

In the time after, Hoia-Baciu has attracted yogis, shamans, UFO researchers and ghost hunters from across the world, eager to feel the unusual forces reported to reverberate through the forest.

Modern Threats

Despite being among the planet's leading destinations for supernatural fans, the grove is facing danger. The western suburbs of Cluj-Napoca – a modern tech hub of over 400,000 residents, described as the tech capital of Eastern Europe – are expanding, and developers are campaigning for approval to remove the forest to build apartment blocks.

Barring a small area home to locally rare Mediterranean oak trees, the grove is without conservation status, but the guide believes that the company he co-founded – the Hoia-Baciu Project – will help to change that, motivating 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 footwear, Marius recounts various folk tales and reported supernatural events here.

• A popular tale tells of a little girl disappearing during a family picnic, only to reappear after five years with complete amnesia of the events, showing no signs of aging a day, her garments shy of the slightest speck of dust.
• Regular stories explain smartphones and photography gear unexpectedly failing on entering the woods.
• Emotional responses vary from absolute fear to states of ecstasy.
• Certain individuals report noticing strange rashes on their bodies, perceiving unseen murmurs through the trees, or experience palms pushing them, even when certain nobody is nearby.

Study Attempts

Despite several of the stories may be unverifiable, there is much visibly present that is definitely bizarre. All around are plants whose trunks are curved and contorted into fantastical shapes.

Various suggestions have been given to explain the abnormal growth: powerful storms could have shaped the young trees, or typically increased radiation levels in the ground account for their strange formation.

But formal examinations have discovered no satisfactory evidence.

The Notorious Meadow

Marius's excursions permit participants to engage in a little scientific inquiry of their own. Upon reaching the opening in the woods where Barnea captured his well-known UFO pictures, he passes the traveler an ghost-hunting device which detects energy patterns.

"We're venturing into the most active section of the forest," he states. "See what you can find."

The trees immediately cease as we emerge into a flawless round. The sole vegetation is the trimmed turf beneath their shoes; it's obvious that it's not maintained, and looks that this bizarre meadow is organic, not the result of human hands.

The Blurred Line

This part of Romania is a area which fuels fantasy, where the line is unclear between truth and myth. In countryside villages faith continues in strigoi ("screamers") – undead, shapeshifting creatures, who emerge from tombs to frighten local communities.

The famous author's renowned vampire Count Dracula is forever associated with Transylvania, and Bran Castle – an ancient structure perched on a stone formation in the Transylvanian Alps – is actively advertised as "the vampire's home".

But including legend-filled Transylvania – literally, "the place beyond the forest" – seems solid and predictable in contrast to these eerie woods, which give the impression of being, for causes radioactive, environmental or purely mythical, a nexus for creative energy.

"Inside these woods," the guide says, "the boundary between truth and fantasy is extremely fine."