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"People refer to this location a mysterious vortex of Transylvania," states a tour guide, his exhalation creating clouds of mist in the cold dusk atmosphere. "So many visitors have vanished here, many believe there's a gateway to a different realm." Marius is leading a visitor on a nocturnal tour through frequently labeled as the planet's most ghostly forest: Hoia-Baciu, an area covering one square mile of ancient indigenous forest on the edges of the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

Centuries of Mystery

Reports of unusual events here date back a long time – the grove is named after a regional herder who is said to have vanished in the far-off times, accompanied by 200 of his sheep. But Hoia-Baciu achieved global recognition in 1968, when a defense worker named Emil Barnea captured on film what he reported as a unidentified flying object hovering above a circular clearing in the centre of the forest.

Countless ventured inside and failed to return. But no need to fear," he adds, turning to his guest with a grin. "Our guided walks have a 100% return rate."

In the years that followed, Hoia-Baciu has brought in yoga practitioners, traditional medicine people, ufologists and paranormal investigators from around the globe, interested in encountering the strange energies reported to reverberate through the forest.

Current Risks

It may be among the planet's leading pilgrimage sites for paranormal enthusiasts, the grove is under threat. The western suburbs of Cluj-Napoca – an innovative digital cluster of a population exceeding 400,000, known as the innovation center of the region – are encroaching, and construction companies are advocating for approval to remove the forest to erect housing complexes.

Except for a limited section housing area-specific oak varieties, the forest is lacking legal protection, but the guide believes that the initiative he was instrumental in creating – a dedicated preservation group – will assist in altering this, motivating the government officials to recognise the forest's importance as a travel hotspot.

Chilling Events

As twigs and autumn leaves split and rustle beneath their shoes, the guide describes various folk tales and alleged supernatural events here.

• A well-known account recounts a young child disappearing during a family outing, then to reappear five years later with no recollection of her experience, without aging a single day, her attire without the slightest speck of dust.
• Frequent accounts explain smartphones and camera equipment inexplicably shutting down on entering the woods.
• Emotional responses range from absolute fear to states of ecstasy.
• Some people report seeing strange rashes on their bodies, detecting unseen murmurs through the trees, or experience hands grabbing them, even when sure they are alone.

Scientific Investigations

Despite several of the tales may be unverifiable, numerous elements visibly present that is undeniably strange. Everywhere you look are plants whose stems are warped and gnarled into unusual forms.

Different theories have been given to account for the misshapen plants: powerful storms could have bent the saplings, or typically increased radiation levels in the ground account for their crooked growth.

But research studies have discovered no satisfactory evidence.

The Famous Clearing

The guide's excursions allow guests to engage in a small-scale research of their own. As we approach the meadow in the trees where Barnea captured his famous UFO pictures, he hands his guest an electromagnetic field detector which registers electromagnetic fields.

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

The plants abruptly end as they step into a complete ring. The sole vegetation is the short grass beneath their shoes; it's apparent that it's naturally occurring, and seems that this unusual opening is organic, not the creation of people.

Between Reality and Imagination

The broader region is a location which inspires creativity, where the division is blurred between fact and folklore. In rural Romanian communities superstition remains in strigoi ("screamers") – undead, appearance-altering bloodsuckers, who emerge from tombs to frighten nearby villages.

The novelist's well-known character Dracula is forever associated with Transylvania, and the historic stronghold – an ancient structure perched on a rocky outcrop in the mountain range – is heavily promoted as "Dracula's Castle".

But despite folklore-rich Transylvania – truly, "the place beyond the forest" – feels solid and predictable versus this spooky forest, which appear to be, for causes nuclear, atmospheric or entirely legendary, a center for creative energy.

"Within this forest," the guide comments, "the line between fact and fiction is extremely fine."