Venturing into the Globe's Spookiest Forest: Gnarled Trees, UFOs and Chilling Accounts in Transylvania.

"Locals dub this spot the Bermuda Triangle of Transylvania," remarks a local guide, his breath creating wisps of condensation in the cold night air. "Numerous people have vanished here, some say there's a gateway to another dimension." This expert is guiding a traveler on a evening stroll through what is often described as the world's most haunted forest: Hoia-Baciu, an area covering one square mile of ancient native woodland on the edges of the metropolis of Cluj-Napoca.

Hundreds of Years of Enigma

Reports of bizarre occurrences here date back a long time – the grove is called after a local shepherd who is said to have vanished in the distant past, accompanied by two hundred animals. But Hoia-Baciu came to worldwide fame in 1968, when an army specialist called Emil Barnea photographed what he described as a flying saucer floating above a round opening in the centre of the forest.

Numerous entered this place and vanished without trace. But rest assured," he states, facing the traveler with a smirk. "Our tours have a 100% return rate."

In the decades since, Hoia-Baciu has brought in meditation experts, shamans, UFO researchers and paranormal investigators from worldwide, interested in encountering the unusual forces believed to resonate through the forest.

Modern Threats

Despite being a top global pilgrimage sites for paranormal enthusiasts, the grove is facing danger. The outlying areas of Cluj-Napoca – a modern tech hub of a population exceeding 400,000, described as the tech capital of Eastern Europe – are advancing, and developers are campaigning for approval to clear the trees to build apartment blocks.

Aside from a small area containing regionally uncommon specific tree species, the forest is not officially protected, but Marius hopes that the company he co-founded – a dedicated preservation group – will contribute to improving the situation, encouraging the authorities to recognise the forest's importance as a visitor destination.

Spooky Experiences

As twigs and fall foliage split and rustle beneath their boots, the guide describes various folk tales and reported supernatural events here.

• A well-known account tells of a little girl disappearing during a family outing, only to return five years later with no recollection of the events, having not aged a day, her attire lacking the slightest speck of soil.
• Regular stories describe mobile phones and imaging devices unexpectedly failing on venturing inside.
• Feelings vary from complete terror to feelings of joy.
• Certain individuals state noticing unusual marks on their arms, hearing ghostly voices through the trees, or experience hands grabbing them, although sure they are alone.

Research Efforts

Despite several of the accounts may be impossible to confirm, numerous elements visibly present that is certainly unusual. Everywhere you look are plants whose stems are warped and gnarled into unusual forms.

Various suggestions have been proposed to explain the abnormal growth: strong gales could have bent the saplings, or naturally high radioactivity in the ground account for their unusual development.

But research studies have turned up no satisfactory evidence.

The Notorious Meadow

The expert's excursions enable guests to take part in a modest investigation of their own. As we approach the meadow in the forest where Barnea photographed his famous UFO pictures, he gives his guest an ghost-hunting device which registers electromagnetic fields.

"We're stepping into the most energetic area of the forest," he comments. "Try to detect something."

The trees immediately cease as the group enters into a perfect circle. The only greenery is the low vegetation beneath the ground; it's clear that it's not maintained, and looks that this unusual opening is organic, not the work of landscaping.

The Blurred Line

Transylvania generally is a area which fuels fantasy, where the division is blurred between truth and myth. In countryside villages faith continues in strigoi ("screamers") – undead, appearance-altering creatures, who emerge from tombs to frighten local communities.

Bram Stoker's well-known vampire Count Dracula is forever associated with Transylvania, and the legendary fortress – an ancient structure perched on a stone formation in the Carpathian Mountains – is actively advertised as "the count's residence".

But despite myth-shrouded Transylvania – actually, "the place beyond the forest" – appears solid and predictable compared to these eerie woods, which appear to be, for reasons related to radiation, climatic or purely mythical, a hub for creative energy.

"In Hoia-Baciu," Marius says, "the boundary between fact and fiction is extremely fine."