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"People refer to this spot an enigmatic zone of Transylvania," states an experienced guide, his exhalation forming clouds of vapor in the cold night air. "Numerous visitors have gone missing here, many believe it's an entrance to another dimension." Marius is leading a guest on a nocturnal tour through frequently labeled as the planet's most ghostly forest: Hoia-Baciu, a section spanning 640 acres of ancient native woodland on the edges of the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

Centuries of Mystery

Stories of unusual events here extend back hundreds of years – the forest is titled for a local shepherd who is reportedly went missing in the far-off times, along with two hundred animals. But Hoia-Baciu achieved global recognition in 1968, when an army specialist called Emil Barnea captured on film what he reported as a UFO suspended above a round opening in the centre of the forest.

Countless ventured inside and failed to return. But rest assured," he adds, addressing the traveler with a smirk. "Our tours have a 100% return rate."

In the years that followed, Hoia-Baciu has drawn yoga practitioners, shamans, extraterrestrial investigators and paranormal investigators from around the globe, curious to experience the unusual forces said to echo through the forest.

Contemporary Dangers

It may be among the planet's leading destinations for supernatural fans, the forest is facing danger. The western suburbs of Cluj-Napoca – a contemporary technology center of a population exceeding 400,000, called the Silicon Valley of Eastern Europe – are advancing, and developers are pushing for approval to clear the trees to erect housing complexes.

Barring a few hectares housing regionally uncommon Mediterranean oak trees, the grove is not officially protected, but Marius hopes that the initiative he co-founded – the Hoia-Baciu Project – will contribute to improving the situation, encouraging the local administrators to acknowledge the forest's significance as a travel hotspot.

Spooky Experiences

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

• One famous story describes a five-year-old girl going missing during a family picnic, later to reappear after five years with no memory of what had happened, showing no signs of aging a single day, her attire lacking the tiniest bit of soil.
• More common reports explain cellphones and imaging devices mysteriously turning off on entering the woods.
• Emotional responses include full-blown dread to states of ecstasy.
• Some people state noticing strange rashes on their bodies, hearing unseen murmurs through the forest, or experience palms pushing them, although sure they are alone.

Research Efforts

While many of the tales may be unverifiable, there are many things visibly present that is undeniably strange. Everywhere you look are trees whose bases are curved and contorted into fantastical shapes.

Various suggestions have been proposed to clarify the abnormal growth: that hurricane winds could have shaped the young trees, or typically increased radioactivity in the ground explain their strange formation.

But research studies have discovered insufficient proof.

The Notorious Meadow

Marius's tours allow participants to participate in a modest investigation of their own. When nearing the opening in the trees where Barnea photographed his renowned UFO images, he gives the visitor an electromagnetic field detector which detects energy patterns.

"We're entering the most powerful section of the forest," he says. "See what you can find."

The trees abruptly end as the group enters into a flawless round. The sole vegetation is the low vegetation beneath our feet; it's clear that it's naturally occurring, and appears that this bizarre meadow is organic, not the creation of people.

The Blurred Line

Transylvania generally is a location which inspires creativity, where the border is blurred between fact and folklore. In rural Romanian communities faith continues in strigoi ("screamers") – otherworldly, shapeshifting vampires, who rise from their graves to haunt nearby villages.

The novelist's renowned character Dracula is permanently linked with Transylvania, and the historic stronghold – an ancient structure located on a rocky outcrop in the Transylvanian Alps – is actively advertised as "the vampire's home".

But despite folklore-rich Transylvania – truly, "the territory after the grove" – seems tangible and comprehensible versus this spooky forest, which seem to be, for reasons radioactive, atmospheric or entirely legendary, a center for fantasy projection.

"Within this forest," Marius comments, "the boundary between truth and fantasy is very thin."