A Night Tour of Haunted Hoia Baciu Forest
What you need to know about the haunted forest of Romania tour:
- This is a private tour from Cluj-Napoca. The tour can start between 18:00-22:00 depending on season and your preferences, and lasts 3 hours. Also available as day tour [see our other page]
- Included: guidance from the #1 expert on this unique place in Romania, transport from Cluj-Napoca, ponchos in case of rain and flashlights
- This will be an interesting hike of about 4 km in the forest for 2-3 hours, so have good shoes and warm clothing depending on weather
- I'll take you to Poiana Rotunda, a perfectly circular plateau known for its dead vegetation zone where grass doesn't grow without any human intervention
- I'll show you the most interesting spots in this unique forest, including bent trees, tree stumps and local vegetation that is just plain weird!
- We'll use special electronic devices to do scientific measurements in this dense forest, like proper paranormal investigators would do in a unique place like this!
Additional information
We recommend you wear comfortable & warm clothes and good sports shoes or hiking boots. It might be muddy in case it's raining. After your booking is confirmed I'll tell you more about the weather, what to expect and bring.
Exact meeting point in the city of Cluj-Napoca and starting time will be agreed after I confirm your request.
The tour is PRIVATE and I don't like to mix tourists even if they book for the date. I want you to have a good experience in this strange forest so - please, book with as much advance notice as you can!
Moments to expect in the haunted forrest trip:
Enter Hoia Forest
We being our journey in Hoia forest from the edge of the forest on the outskirts of Cluj-Napoca. I will tell you the many local legends surrounding this place in Romanian culture, including where the name of the forest comes from (hint: it involves Romanian peasants and some unexplained events). As we start seeing unusual vegetation and crooked trees, some people may begin to experience unusual sensations, including of excitement and curiosity, as we go deeper in this dark forest known as the 'Bermuda Triangle of Romania!'
A Round Clearing (Poiana Rotunda) in the middle of the forest!
We make our way to the main spot in the center of the forest called Poiana Rotunda, a perfect circle clearing known as the 'vegetation dead zone' where trees don't grow and grass stays at the same level. A biologist even came to take soil samples here and this is just one of many strange phenomena in the area. The other one caught international attention: in the late 1960s Emil Barnea, a military technician who happened to be camping in Hoia Baciu Forest, reported UFO sightings above the forest and photographed them. Wether this is just another make-believe story about a flying object and unexplained lights or not - the fact is there are too many inexplicable events in the same place!
Paranormal investigations
As if in a sci-fi movie about the most haunted places, we start using special measuring devices used by those looking for scientific explanations (EMF meter and Geiger counter). Sometimes, especially during a full moon which makes the forest an even more beautiful place, I came across areas with intense paranormal activity. As we go exploring, I'll tell you the story of how a young girl disappeared here and why locals believe the female voices that sometimes come from the forest are connected.
Cancelation & refund policy
EasySends us or the guide an email 24h before the tour informing us you can't make it and you'll get a full refund of your payment, no questions asked.
Location details
- Starting point: Cluj - Napoca
- Nearest airport: Cluj - Napoca International
- Nearest train station: Cluj-Napoca
- Landscape: Hills, countryside, forest
Reviews from travellers
Unfortunately this is the second time that I have had to cancel because if unforeseen circumstances. Alex has been very helpful when I have had questions, and Romanian Friend promptly refunded me. I look forward to meeting Alex hopefully next May. I have heard nothing but great reviews about Alex and I really want to see this forest!!
Communication was good, Alex met us on time, and he really knew his way around the forest. Luckily he didn’t try to scare us too much, it’s spooky enough being in an unknown forest at night. A fun and interesting tour.
Alex was very knowledgeable and clearly comfortable hiking through the forest. The stories of his experiences made the hike more enjoyable!
this was the most unusual part of our trip in Romania. my husband and teenage soon weren't sure about doing this, but in the end they really liked it. Alex is a great guide who knows everything about the forest and showed us some very interesting places. highly recommend!
I was skeptical at first but this turned out to be a very interesting tour. Alex is very friendly and knows a lot of stories about the forest and special places in it. and the forest itself was indeed very strange. definitely recommend to those looking for a non-touristy experience!
My girlfriend and I had a great evening roaming the forest in Hoia Baciu with Alex. Alex had a wealth of knowledge of the forest and a strong storyteller about his years of experience with the forest. We really appreciated his balanced approach to the legends, which in itself made it all the more fascinating. If you are 50/50 definitely go for it! Alex also went out of his way to make us feel comfortable pikcing up and dropping us off at our hotel and gave us a lot of good tips to know about Romanian culture and ettiquette. It was the start of the trip so very handy. Thanks mate!
The night time tour through Hoia Baciu Forest was amazing! The forest is beautiful especially under a full moon. Our tour guide Alex was very knowledgeable and we enjoyed hearing many spooky stories about the area.
Alex was an excellent tour guide and really knowledgeable. Highly recommended for the night tours of the Hoia Baciu forest.
A true Romanian friend. The night tour was incredible! Alex knows his stuff, he is an expert of both the forest and the local culture. The forest has such a magic atmosphere... it played with our imagination! I would totally recommend the experience to anyone interested in discovering Hoia Baciu's mysteries and stories.
We thoroughly enjoyed our night tour of the forest. Alex is a great guide who has a special connection with the forest. This connection was obvious throughout the tour. He is very knowledgeable about the forest and the mysteries about it. And he was super-accommodating - one of us was injured and needed a slower pace. He made sure she felt comfortable throughout the tour.
My tour was fantastic, amazing and thrilling!! Alex was very very good….strike that, he was absolutely brilliant!!! He had an amazing knowledge of everything. I simply wished I’d been able to take in more as all the info was truly mesmerizing. To be able to go hiking in Hoia Forest at midnight on the last day of July under a full moon was quite special and very unforgettable!! I would love to do the tour again. Even if one were a skeptic of paranormal activity etc in the forest, the experience of walking through there is unique unit itself. I had an amazing time. And being able to see a rather vein fox (stood there for ten minutes posing as we took photos) added even more to the experience. Truly an enchanted tour that I shall never ever forget!! Mulțumesc Alex!!!!!!!!
Alex was the best tour guide! We learned about the forest but also so much about Romanian history and folklore. And we did catch some crazy things on camera! We highly recommend this tour!
Alex our guide was very passionate and knowledgable about the forest. Unfortunately we did not witness anything paranormal except that the K2 meter was going off in the rotunda clearing area of the forest for no apparent reason but it never went off in the wooded area at all then started again when we entered the clearing for a second time. Although we got no other activity, the evening was an enjoyable one. Thank you to Romanian friend and Alex for an interesting and different evening.
Our night tour to Hoia Baciu forest with our guide , Alex was amazing . My three kids loved the experience and Alex is clearly very passionate and knowledgeable about what he does . I would definitely recommend the night tour to anyone staying in Cluj … you won’t be disappointed.
I had an enjoyable time on this tour! The trees were mystifying and the Clearing was an atmospheric place to visit. Thanks Alex!
The trip was great, couldnt be better... except for the weather, maybe :)
Super easy to book and our guide Alex was very communicative at the time of booking and then as we got closer. The tour itself was so unique and way above our expectations. Alex was extremely knowledgable, engaging and authentic and we'd recommend this to anyone who visits Romania!
Nous étions deux amies pour ce tour avec Alex et nous avons passé un super moment ! Alex est rassurant, très à l'écoute et il a mille anecdotes à raconter sur la forêt. Nous avons pu parler biologie, histoire, folklore et légendes et nous sommes rentrées ravies de notre expérience ! Merci encore d'avoir partagé tes connaissances et ta passion avec nous ! Claire et Justine
We had such a great adventure with Alex exploring this creepy forest at night. Hoia Baciu Is such a unique forest, even more so at night. Luckily Alex knows the forest like the back of his hand. We highly recommend this tour! If your lucky enough to go on this adventure with Alex, ask him about the alien. 5/5, we're glad we found this on Romanian Friend!
We really enjoyed our tour. Communication with Alex was very good and all the information provided was really interesting. The Hoia Baciu forest is truly a special place. I will definitely recommend it to my friends who are interested in this sort of places.
Alex was really great. The night time tour of the forest was not only filled with interesting stories, but also had the eerie/spooky element I was expecting. Alex is really friendly, and clearly has a passion for guiding, so I'm glad I found him here!
Very nice and interesting experience, lots of folkstories and weird stuff!
Alex was an awesome tour guide! Very knowledgeable and friendly. His English was very good and he answered all the questions we had to the best of his ability. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone who likes hiking and scary stuff!
We enjoyed an amazing day tour with Alex. What a skilled and thoughtful, knowledgeable guide Alex is! He gives much information, is very personable and at all times you know that he loves the forest and his profession as a tour guide. The information and insight Alex gave us exceeded our expectations by far and we would most highly recommend Alex to anyone wanting to visit the Hoia Baciu forest. Thank you Alex! Have a wonderful season with nice people! Vanessa and Roland from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Alex is a sincere and experienced tourguide that you will feel peaceful while walking with him in forest. We are lucky that the weather is really nice, full moon with no clouds, only the mysterious round area has snow, just amazing scene, very beautiful. If you come to Cluj, make sure not to miss this.
The whole trip was well organised and very easy to arrange. Whatever your views on the paranormal, the woods are a beautiful place to visit at night and it would not be possible without a local guide. I would recommend anyone visiting Cluj to give it a go!
Our guide was an environmental physisct by education, which made this trip so awesome! He explained the explainable in logical terms and told us about the unexplainable! He was amazing! We had a fantastic time and caught a lot more paranormal photos than I ever expected! Such a great tour, I love when science meets metaphysics, Hoia Baciu is the perfect storm!
The guide was very personable anf spoke wonderful English. He was passionate about the forest and its history. Would highly recommend. Without Romanian Friend I wouldn't have found this tour so I'm glad I booked, thanks!!
Other tours nearby
A Day Trip in Romania's Haunted Forest: Hoia Baciu
Start from: Cluj-Napoca
34 REVIEWS
per person
Short Walk & Talk about Cluj-Napoca with a Local
Start from: Cluj-Napoca
74 REVIEWS
per person
Cluj-Napoca Food Tour: Food Markets, Regional Dishes and Coffee Culture
Start from: Cluj-Napoca
11 REVIEWS
per person
4 times a year we prepare a newsletter with local stories, places and our special insights about Romanian culture and local life that will inspire you to visit our country and have an authentic local experience. Would you like to get it?