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"They call this spot an enigmatic zone of Transylvania," remarks an experienced guide, his exhalation forming clouds of condensation in the cold dusk atmosphere. "So many individuals have gone missing here, many believe it's a portal to another dimension." This expert is leading a visitor on a night walk through what is often described as the planet's most ghostly woodland: Hoia-Baciu, a section spanning 640 acres of primeval indigenous forest on the outskirts of the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

A Long History of the Unexplained

Reports of strange happenings here extend back hundreds of years – this woodland is called after a regional herder who is believed to have disappeared in the distant past, along with his entire flock. But Hoia-Baciu achieved worldwide fame in 1968, when an army specialist known as Emil Barnea took a picture of what he claimed was a flying saucer floating above a circular clearing in the heart of the forest.

Countless ventured inside and vanished without trace. But no need to fear," he states, turning to his guest with a smirk. "Our excursions have a perfect safety record."

In the time after, Hoia-Baciu has drawn yoga practitioners, spiritual healers, UFO researchers and ghost hunters from across the world, interested in encountering the mysterious powers reported to reverberate through the forest.

Current Risks

Despite being a top global destinations for paranormal enthusiasts, this woodland is facing danger. The outlying areas of Cluj-Napoca – a contemporary technology center of over 400,000 residents, called the tech capital of eastern Europe – are advancing, and developers are campaigning for approval to remove the forest to construct residential buildings.

Barring a small area containing regionally uncommon oak varieties, the forest is lacking legal protection, but Marius is confident that the initiative he co-founded – a dedicated preservation group – will help to change that, persuading the local administrators to appreciate the forest's value as a visitor destination.

Eerie Encounters

As twigs and autumn leaves break and crackle beneath their boots, the guide describes some of the folk tales and claimed paranormal happenings here.

• One famous story tells of a five-year-old girl disappearing during a group gathering, then to return five years later with no recollection of her experience, showing no signs of aging a day, her garments shy of the slightest speck of dust.
• More common reports detail mobile phones and photography gear mysteriously turning off on stepping into the forest.
• Emotional responses range from full-blown dread to moments of euphoria.
• Some people claim observing unusual marks on their skin, perceiving disembodied whispers through the woodland, or feel fingers clutching them, although certain nobody is nearby.

Research Efforts

Despite several of the tales may be impossible to confirm, numerous elements before my eyes that is certainly unusual. Throughout the area are vegetation whose bases are curved and contorted into bizarre configurations.

Different theories have been suggested to explain the abnormal growth: powerful storms could have shaped the young trees, or naturally high radioactivity in the ground account for their crooked growth.

But formal examinations have discovered inconclusive results.

The Famous Clearing

The guide's excursions permit guests to take part in a little scientific inquiry of their own. When nearing the meadow in the trees where Barnea captured his renowned UFO photographs, he gives his guest an ghost-hunting device which detects EMF readings.

"We're entering the most active area of the forest," he states. "Discover what's here."

The trees immediately cease as we emerge into a complete ring. The sole vegetation is the trimmed turf beneath our feet; it's apparent that it's not maintained, and seems that this strange clearing is organic, not the creation of people.

Fact Versus Fiction

This part of Romania is a location which inspires creativity, where the division is unclear between truth and myth. In rural Romanian communities superstition remains in strigoi ("screamers") – undead, shapeshifting creatures, who emerge from tombs to haunt local communities.

Bram Stoker's well-known character Dracula is permanently linked with Transylvania, and the historic stronghold – a Saxon monolith perched on a rocky outcrop in the mountain range – is heavily promoted as "the vampire's home".

But despite folklore-rich Transylvania – actually, "the territory after the grove" – feels solid and predictable versus the haunted grove, which seem to be, for causes related to radiation, atmospheric or purely mythical, a nexus for fantasy projection.

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