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"They call this place a mysterious vortex of Transylvania," remarks a local guide, his exhalation creating clouds of vapor in the cold evening air. "Numerous people have gone missing here, it's thought there's a gateway to a parallel world." This expert is leading a visitor on a night walk through what is often described as the world's most haunted forest: Hoia-Baciu, a square mile of ancient native woodland on the edges of the metropolis of Cluj-Napoca.

Hundreds of Years of Enigma

Accounts of strange happenings here date back a long time – the grove is titled for a area shepherd who is reportedly went missing in the long ago, accompanied by two hundred animals. But Hoia-Baciu gained global recognition in 1968, when a defense worker named Emil Barnea took a picture of what he reported as a flying saucer hovering above a oval meadow in the centre of the forest.

Many came in here and vanished without trace. But no need to fear," he adds, turning to the visitor with a grin. "Our tours have a perfect safety record."

In the years that followed, Hoia-Baciu has attracted yoga practitioners, traditional medicine people, UFO researchers and paranormal investigators from worldwide, eager to feel the strange energies said to echo through the forest.

Current Risks

Despite being a top global destinations for lovers of the paranormal, the forest is at risk. The western districts of Cluj-Napoca – a contemporary technology center of over 400,000 residents, called the tech capital of eastern Europe – are encroaching, and real estate firms are pushing for approval to remove the forest to construct residential buildings.

Barring a small area housing area-specific oak varieties, the grove is not officially protected, but Marius believes that the organization he was instrumental in creating – a dedicated preservation group – will assist in altering this, persuading the authorities to recognise the forest's importance as a travel hotspot.

Spooky Experiences

As twigs and fall foliage break and crackle beneath their boots, the guide recounts numerous local legends and alleged supernatural events here.

• One famous story tells of a young child going missing during a group gathering, later to rematerialise five years later with complete amnesia of her experience, having not aged a moment, her attire lacking the slightest speck of dirt.
• More common reports describe cellphones and photography gear unexpectedly failing on stepping into the forest.
• Reactions vary from absolute fear to moments of euphoria.
• Some people state noticing strange rashes on their bodies, hearing ghostly voices through the woodland, or feel fingers clutching them, even when convinced they're by themselves.

Scientific Investigations

While many of the accounts may be unverifiable, numerous elements clearly observable that is undeniably strange. Everywhere you look are plants whose trunks are warped and gnarled into bizarre configurations.

Multiple explanations have been given to explain the misshapen plants: powerful storms could have altered the growth, or inherently elevated radiation levels in the earth account for their crooked growth.

But formal examinations have discovered insufficient proof.

The Famous Clearing

Marius's excursions allow guests to participate in a little scientific inquiry of their own. As we approach the meadow in the trees where Barnea took his well-known UFO pictures, he gives his guest an EMF meter which measures EMF readings.

"We're stepping into the most active part of the forest," he comments. "Discover what's here."

The trees suddenly stop dead as we emerge into a perfect circle. The only greenery is the short grass beneath their shoes; it's clear that it hasn't been mown, and looks that this unusual opening is organic, not the result of people.

The Blurred Line

This part of Romania is a place which inspires creativity, where the border is unclear between truth and myth. In rural Romanian communities superstition remains in strigoi ("screamers") – otherworldly, form-changing bloodsuckers, who emerge from tombs to frighten nearby villages.

The novelist's well-known character Dracula is always connected with Transylvania, and the legendary fortress – a medieval building perched on a rocky outcrop in the Transylvanian Alps – is keenly marketed as "the vampire's home".

But including myth-shrouded Transylvania – truly, "the place beyond the forest" – feels real and understandable versus the haunted grove, which give the impression of being, for causes radioactive, atmospheric or purely mythical, a hub for fantasy projection.

"Inside these woods," the guide states, "the line between truth and fantasy is remarkably blurred."