Venturing into this Globe's Spookiest Woodland: Twisted Trees, Flying Saucers and Spooky Stories in Romania's Legendary Region.

"They call this location the Bermuda Triangle of Transylvania," remarks a tour guide, his breath forming puffs of vapor in the crisp night air. "Numerous visitors have vanished here, many believe it's an entrance to a parallel world." The guide is guiding a guest on a nocturnal tour through commonly known as the globe's spookiest grove: Hoia-Baciu, a square mile of old-growth native woodland on the fringes of the Transylvanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

A Long History of the Unexplained

Accounts of unusual events here date back hundreds of years – this woodland is called after a local shepherd who is believed to have disappeared in the long ago, along with 200 of his sheep. But Hoia-Baciu came to worldwide fame in 1968, when an army specialist called Emil Barnea photographed what he described as a UFO floating above a circular clearing in the centre of the forest.

Many came in here and never came out. But rest assured," he states, turning to his guest with a smirk. "Our tours have a 100% return rate."

In the time after, Hoia-Baciu has drawn yoga practitioners, spiritual healers, UFO researchers and supernatural researchers from across the world, eager to feel the mysterious powers believed to resonate through the forest.

Current Risks

Despite being among the planet's leading hotspots for supernatural fans, the grove is at risk. The western districts of Cluj-Napoca – a modern tech hub of a population exceeding 400,000, known as the Silicon Valley of eastern Europe – are advancing, and construction companies are pushing for permission to clear the trees to erect housing complexes.

Except for a limited section containing area-specific Mediterranean oak trees, the grove is not officially protected, but Marius is confident that the company he helped establish – the Hoia-Baciu Project – will assist in altering this, motivating the authorities to recognise the forest's value as a visitor destination.

Eerie Encounters

While branches and seasonal debris snap and crunch beneath their footwear, the guide tells various traditional stories and alleged supernatural events here.

• A well-known account recounts a young child going missing during a family picnic, then to return five years later with no memory of what had happened, without aging a single day, her garments without the slightest speck of soil.
• Regular stories explain cellphones and camera equipment inexplicably shutting down on entering the woods.
• Emotional responses include complete terror to moments of euphoria.
• Certain individuals state observing bizarre skin irritations on their bodies, perceiving unseen murmurs through the trees, or sense palms pushing them, although sure they are alone.

Scientific Investigations

Despite several of the stories may be unverifiable, numerous elements before my eyes that is certainly unusual. All around are vegetation whose bases are curved and contorted into bizarre configurations.

Multiple explanations have been proposed to explain the misshapen plants: powerful storms could have altered the growth, or inherently elevated radioactivity in the ground explain their crooked growth.

But formal examinations have found inconclusive results.

The Legendary Opening

Marius's walks permit guests to participate in a small-scale research of their own. Upon reaching the meadow in the woods where Barnea photographed his renowned UFO pictures, he gives the traveler an EMF meter which registers EMF readings.

"We're venturing into the most powerful area of the forest," he comments. "See what you can find."

The trees suddenly stop dead as they step into a complete ring. The only greenery is the low vegetation beneath the ground; it's clear that it's naturally occurring, and appears that this bizarre meadow is organic, not the result of human hands.

Fact Versus Fiction

The broader region is a place which stirs the imagination, where the line is blurred between truth and myth. In traditional settlements belief persists in strigoi ("screamers") – supernatural, form-changing bloodsuckers, who rise from their graves to frighten local communities.

The famous author's renowned character Dracula is always connected with Transylvania, and the legendary fortress – a medieval building situated on a cliff edge in the Transylvanian Alps – is actively advertised as "the vampire's home".

But including folklore-rich Transylvania – literally, "the land past the woods" – appears real and understandable in contrast to the haunted grove, which seem to be, for causes radioactive, atmospheric or purely mythical, a hub for creative energy.

"Within this forest," Marius comments, "the line between truth and fantasy is extremely fine."