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"People refer to this place a mysterious vortex of Transylvania," remarks an experienced guide, the air from his lungs forming clouds of condensation in the crisp dusk atmosphere. "So many people have gone missing here, some say it's a portal to a different realm." This expert is guiding a visitor on a nocturnal tour through frequently labeled as the planet's most ghostly grove: Hoia-Baciu, a square mile of ancient local woods on the fringes of the Transylvanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

A Long History of the Unexplained

Accounts of bizarre occurrences here date back centuries – the forest is titled for a regional herder who is believed to have disappeared in the long ago, together with two hundred animals. But Hoia-Baciu came to global recognition in 1968, when a military technician known as Emil Barnea photographed what he described as a unidentified flying object floating above a circular clearing in the heart of the forest.

Numerous entered this place and vanished without trace. But don't worry," he adds, turning to the traveler with a smirk. "Our tours have a 100% return rate."

In the decades since, Hoia-Baciu has drawn yogis, shamans, UFO researchers and ghost hunters from worldwide, eager to feel the mysterious powers said to echo through the forest.

Modern Threats

It may be among the planet's leading pilgrimage sites for paranormal enthusiasts, the forest is at risk. The outlying areas of Cluj-Napoca – a contemporary technology center of more than 400,000 people, described as the tech capital of the region – are advancing, and developers are advocating for authorization to remove the forest to build apartment blocks.

Aside from a small area housing locally rare oak varieties, this woodland is without conservation status, but Marius believes that the company he co-founded – a local conservation effort – will assist in altering this, motivating the government officials to recognise the forest's significance as a tourist attraction.

Chilling Events

When small sticks and fall foliage snap and crunch beneath their footwear, the guide describes some of the local legends and claimed paranormal happenings here.

• One famous story tells of a five-year-old girl going missing during a group gathering, then to reappear after five years with no memory of what had happened, having not aged a moment, her garments shy of the slightest speck of dust.
• Frequent accounts explain cellphones and camera equipment mysteriously turning off on entering the woods.
• Emotional responses vary from absolute fear to moments of euphoria.
• Various visitors claim seeing bizarre skin irritations on their bodies, hearing unseen murmurs through the trees, or sense hands grabbing them, even when convinced they're by themselves.

Research Efforts

While many of the tales may be unverifiable, numerous elements before my eyes that is definitely bizarre. Throughout the area are trees whose bases are bent and twisted into unusual forms.

Various suggestions have been suggested to clarify the misshapen plants: that hurricane winds could have bent the saplings, or typically increased radiation levels in the soil explain their strange formation.

But formal examinations have turned up no satisfactory evidence.

The Notorious Meadow

Marius's tours enable guests to engage in a modest investigation of their own. Upon reaching the clearing in the woods where Barnea captured his renowned UFO pictures, he hands the visitor an EMF meter which detects EMF readings.

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

The trees immediately cease as they step into a perfect circle. The sole vegetation is the short grass beneath their shoes; it's clear that it's not maintained, and appears that this unusual opening is organic, not the result of human hands.

The Blurred Line

This part of Romania is a location which inspires creativity, where the line is indistinct between reality and legend. In rural Romanian communities faith continues in strigoi ("screamers") – supernatural, form-changing vampires, who return from burial sites to haunt nearby villages.

Bram Stoker's famous fictional vampire is forever associated with Transylvania, and the legendary fortress – a medieval building situated on a stone formation in the mountain range – is keenly marketed as "the vampire's home".

But even myth-shrouded Transylvania – actually, "the territory after the grove" – appears real and understandable compared to these eerie woods, which appear to be, for reasons nuclear, atmospheric or simply folkloric, a hub for fantasy projection.

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