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"People refer to this location a mysterious vortex of Transylvania," states an experienced guide, his exhalation creating puffs of mist in the chilly evening air. "Numerous individuals have gone missing here, some say it's an entrance to a parallel world." The guide is escorting a traveler on a nocturnal tour through commonly known as the planet's most ghostly forest: Hoia-Baciu, a square mile of old-growth local woods on the fringes of the Transylvanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

A Long History of the Unexplained

Stories of strange happenings here extend back a long time – the forest is titled for a area shepherd who is said to have vanished in the distant past, together with 200 of his sheep. But Hoia-Baciu came to worldwide fame in 1968, when a military technician called Emil Barnea took a picture of what he claimed was a flying saucer suspended above a round opening in the centre of the forest.

Numerous entered this place and failed to return. But no need to fear," he adds, facing the visitor with a smirk. "Our tours have a flawless completion rate."

In the decades since, Hoia-Baciu has drawn yogis, shamans, UFO researchers and paranormal investigators from worldwide, interested in encountering the unusual forces reported to reverberate through the forest.

Current Risks

It may be among the planet's leading destinations for supernatural fans, the grove is at risk. The western districts of Cluj-Napoca – a contemporary technology center of more than 400,000 people, called the innovation center of the region – are encroaching, and real estate firms are advocating for authorization to cut down the woods to erect housing complexes.

Aside from a few hectares containing area-specific Mediterranean oak trees, the forest is not officially protected, but the guide hopes that the organization he was instrumental in creating – a local conservation effort – will assist in altering this, motivating the government officials to recognise the forest's value as a visitor destination.

Eerie Encounters

While branches and autumn leaves break and crackle beneath their shoes, the guide recounts various local legends and alleged paranormal happenings here.

• A popular tale tells of a five-year-old girl vanishing during a group gathering, only to rematerialise five years later with no recollection of what had happened, showing no signs of aging a day, her clothes lacking the smallest trace of soil.
• Regular stories detail smartphones and photography gear unexpectedly failing on venturing inside.
• Reactions include absolute fear to states of ecstasy.
• Some people claim observing unusual marks on their bodies, hearing unseen murmurs through the trees, or feel fingers clutching them, even when sure they are alone.

Research Efforts

Despite several of the accounts may be impossible to confirm, there is much visibly present that is undeniably strange. Throughout the area are plants whose trunks are bent and twisted into fantastical shapes.

Various suggestions have been suggested to clarify the abnormal growth: that hurricane winds could have bent the saplings, or inherently elevated electromagnetic fields in the soil account for their strange formation.

But formal examinations have found no satisfactory evidence.

The Famous Clearing

Marius's excursions allow guests to engage in a modest investigation of their own. Upon reaching the meadow in the trees where Barnea photographed his renowned UFO images, he gives his guest an ghost-hunting device which registers EMF readings.

"We're entering the most energetic section of the forest," he comments. "Discover what's here."

The plants abruptly end as we emerge into a flawless round. The single plant life is the low vegetation beneath their shoes; it's apparent that it's not maintained, and looks that this strange clearing is organic, not the work of landscaping.

The Blurred Line

This part of Romania is a place which stirs the imagination, where the division is indistinct between truth and myth. In traditional settlements belief persists in strigoi ("screamers") – supernatural, form-changing bloodsuckers, who rise from their graves to terrorise local communities.

Bram Stoker's renowned fictional vampire is always connected with Transylvania, and Bran Castle – a medieval building perched on a rocky outcrop in the mountain range – is actively advertised as "the vampire's home".

But despite legend-filled Transylvania – actually, "the land past the woods" – seems solid and predictable in contrast to these eerie woods, which give the impression of being, for reasons related to radiation, environmental or purely mythical, a center for creative energy.

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