Exploring this Globe's Spookiest Grove: Gnarled Trees, UFOs and Eerie Tales in Transylvania.

"Locals dub this location the Bermuda Triangle of Transylvania," remarks an experienced guide, the air from his lungs creating clouds of vapor in the cold dusk atmosphere. "Numerous individuals have vanished here, some say there's a gateway to a different realm." The guide is escorting a visitor on a nocturnal tour through commonly known as the world's most haunted woodland: Hoia-Baciu, a section spanning 640 acres of primeval native woodland on the edges of the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

Hundreds of Years of Enigma

Accounts of strange happenings here extend back centuries – the grove is called after a area shepherd who is reportedly went missing in the long ago, accompanied by 200 of his sheep. But Hoia-Baciu gained global recognition in 1968, when a military technician known as Emil Barnea captured on film what he reported as a UFO hovering above a round opening in the centre of the forest.

Countless ventured inside and never came out. But rest assured," he adds, turning to the traveler with a smirk. "Our tours have a perfect safety record."

In the time after, Hoia-Baciu has brought in yogis, shamans, ufologists and paranormal investigators from across the world, curious to experience the strange energies believed to resonate through the forest.

Contemporary Dangers

Despite being among the planet's leading pilgrimage sites for paranormal enthusiasts, the grove is under threat. The western suburbs of Cluj-Napoca – an innovative digital cluster of more than 400,000 people, called the Silicon Valley of Eastern Europe – are advancing, and construction companies are advocating for approval to cut down the woods to construct residential buildings.

Except for a few hectares housing locally rare specific tree species, the forest is not officially protected, but Marius believes that the company he co-founded – a dedicated preservation group – will help to change that, motivating the local administrators to acknowledge the forest's value as a tourist attraction.

Eerie Encounters

As twigs and seasonal debris snap and crunch beneath their footwear, the guide recounts some of the local legends and reported supernatural events here.

• One famous story tells of a five-year-old girl disappearing during a group gathering, then to return five years later with complete amnesia of her experience, showing no signs of aging a day, her clothes shy of the tiniest bit of soil.
• Frequent accounts explain mobile phones and photography gear unexpectedly failing on entering the woods.
• Emotional responses range from absolute fear to feelings of joy.
• Certain individuals claim observing strange rashes on their skin, detecting ghostly voices through the woodland, or feel hands grabbing them, although convinced they're by themselves.

Scientific Investigations

Although numerous of the tales may be unverifiable, numerous elements clearly observable that is definitely bizarre. Everywhere you look are trees whose trunks are bent and twisted into bizarre configurations.

Various suggestions have been suggested to account for the misshapen plants: strong gales could have altered the growth, or typically increased electromagnetic fields in the earth explain their crooked growth.

But formal examinations have found inconclusive results.

The Famous Clearing

The expert's excursions allow guests to take part in a little scientific inquiry of their own. As we approach the clearing in the woods where Barnea took his renowned UFO images, he hands the visitor an ghost-hunting device which measures energy patterns.

"We're stepping into the most powerful section of the forest," he states. "Discover what's here."

The plants suddenly stop dead as the group enters into a complete ring. The only greenery is the low vegetation beneath our feet; it's clear that it's not maintained, and seems that this strange clearing is organic, not the result of landscaping.

Fact Versus Fiction

This part of Romania is a area which fuels fantasy, where the division is blurred between truth and myth. In rural Romanian communities superstition remains in strigoi ("screamers") – supernatural, form-changing vampires, who emerge from tombs to terrorise local communities.

The novelist's renowned character Dracula is permanently linked with Transylvania, and the historic stronghold – an ancient structure situated on a stone formation in the Carpathian Mountains – is actively advertised as "the count's residence".

But despite myth-shrouded Transylvania – truly, "the territory after the grove" – seems tangible and comprehensible compared to the haunted grove, which give the impression of being, for reasons nuclear, environmental or purely mythical, a hub for fantasy projection.

"Inside these woods," the guide comments, "the line between truth and fantasy is very thin."