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"Locals dub this spot a mysterious vortex of Transylvania," states a local guide, his exhalation forming puffs of mist in the chilly evening air. "Countless visitors have gone missing here, many believe it's an entrance to a different realm." This expert is leading a guest on a evening stroll through commonly known as the planet's most ghostly woodland: Hoia-Baciu, a square mile of old-growth native woodland on the outskirts of the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

Hundreds of Years of Enigma

Reports of strange happenings here date back a long time – the forest is named after a regional herder who is believed to have disappeared in the distant past, along with two hundred animals. But Hoia-Baciu gained international attention in 1968, when a military technician known as Emil Barnea photographed what he claimed was a unidentified flying object hovering above a round opening in the centre of the forest.

Many came in here and failed to return. But don't worry," he continues, addressing the visitor with a grin. "Our guided walks have a 100% return rate."

In the time after, Hoia-Baciu has drawn yoga practitioners, spiritual healers, extraterrestrial investigators and ghost hunters from across the world, interested in encountering the unusual forces believed to resonate through the forest.

Contemporary Dangers

Despite being a top global hotspots for paranormal enthusiasts, the grove is facing danger. The western suburbs of Cluj-Napoca – a modern tech hub of more than 400,000 people, called the innovation center of Eastern Europe – are expanding, and developers are campaigning for approval to clear the trees to construct residential buildings.

Barring a few hectares home to area-specific oak varieties, this woodland is without conservation status, but the guide hopes that the initiative he was instrumental in creating – a dedicated preservation group – will contribute to improving the situation, motivating the government officials to recognise the forest's value as a visitor destination.

Chilling Events

As twigs and seasonal debris split and rustle beneath their boots, the guide describes numerous local legends and claimed supernatural events here.

• A popular tale tells of a little girl disappearing during a group gathering, later to reappear half a decade later with no recollection of what had happened, showing no signs of aging a single day, her garments without the tiniest bit of dust.
• More common reports describe cellphones and photography gear unexpectedly failing on entering the woods.
• Emotional responses range from full-blown dread to states of ecstasy.
• Various visitors report seeing strange rashes on their arms, hearing ghostly voices through the woodland, or experience palms pushing them, although convinced they're by themselves.

Research Efforts

Although numerous of the accounts may be impossible to confirm, numerous elements before my eyes that is certainly unusual. Everywhere you look are plants whose stems are bent and twisted into unusual forms.

Various suggestions have been given to clarify the deformed trees: that hurricane winds could have bent the saplings, or typically increased radiation levels in the ground explain their unusual development.

But scientific investigations have discovered no satisfactory evidence.

The Famous Clearing

The expert's excursions permit participants to take part in a small-scale research of their own. When nearing the clearing in the woods where Barnea captured his well-known UFO images, he hands the visitor an ghost-hunting device which detects EMF readings.

"We're stepping into the most powerful section of the forest," he states. "Discover what's here."

The trees abruptly end as we emerge into a perfect circle. The sole vegetation is the short grass beneath their shoes; it's obvious that it hasn't been mown, and looks that this bizarre meadow is wild, not the work of human hands.

Between Reality and Imagination

This part of Romania is a location which fuels fantasy, where the border is blurred between fact and folklore. In traditional settlements faith continues in strigoi ("screamers") – undead, form-changing bloodsuckers, who emerge from tombs to terrorise regional populations.

The novelist's renowned character Dracula is forever associated with Transylvania, and the legendary fortress – a medieval building situated on a stone formation in the Carpathian Mountains – is actively advertised as "Dracula's Castle".

But including myth-shrouded Transylvania – actually, "the territory after the grove" – appears solid and predictable versus the haunted grove, which give the impression of being, for factors nuclear, environmental or entirely legendary, a center for human imaginative power.

"In Hoia-Baciu," Marius says, "the line between truth and fantasy is extremely fine."