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"People refer to this spot a mysterious vortex of Transylvania," remarks a local guide, the air from his lungs creating wisps of vapor in the chilly dusk atmosphere. "So many visitors have disappeared here, some say it's an entrance to a different realm." This expert is escorting a guest on a night walk through commonly known as the planet's most ghostly grove: Hoia-Baciu, a section spanning 640 acres of ancient native woodland on the outskirts of the Transylvanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

A Long History of the Unexplained

Reports of strange happenings here go back centuries – the grove is titled for a regional herder who is believed to have disappeared in the distant past, along with two hundred animals. But Hoia-Baciu gained global recognition in 1968, when a military technician known as Emil Barnea captured on film what he described as a flying saucer floating above a circular clearing in the centre of the forest.

Numerous entered this place and never came out. But don't worry," he adds, turning to the visitor with a grin. "Our guided walks have a 100% return rate."

In the years that followed, Hoia-Baciu has attracted yogis, spiritual healers, ufologists and paranormal investigators from across the world, eager to feel the mysterious powers said to echo through the forest.

Current Risks

Although it is one of the world's premier pilgrimage sites for supernatural fans, the forest is facing danger. The western suburbs of Cluj-Napoca – an innovative digital cluster of a population exceeding 400,000, called the innovation center of Eastern Europe – are expanding, and real estate firms are pushing for permission to remove the forest to build apartment blocks.

Barring a few hectares containing area-specific specific tree species, the grove is without conservation status, but Marius is confident that the company he co-founded – a dedicated preservation group – will contribute to improving the situation, motivating the government officials to appreciate the forest's value as a tourist attraction.

Eerie Encounters

While branches and autumn leaves split and rustle beneath their boots, the guide describes some of the traditional stories and alleged paranormal happenings here.

• A popular tale recounts a young child vanishing during a group gathering, only to return five years later with no memory of what had happened, having not aged a single day, her garments without the slightest speck of dirt.
• More common reports detail mobile phones and photography gear unexpectedly failing on stepping into the forest.
• Reactions vary from absolute fear to moments of euphoria.
• Various visitors claim noticing bizarre skin irritations on their skin, hearing disembodied whispers through the woodland, or feel hands grabbing them, despite being certain nobody is nearby.

Study Attempts

Although numerous of the stories may be impossible to confirm, there is much before my eyes that is certainly unusual. Throughout the area are vegetation whose bases are bent and twisted into bizarre configurations.

Various suggestions have been given to explain the abnormal growth: that hurricane winds could have shaped the young trees, or typically increased electromagnetic fields in the earth account for their strange formation.

But scientific investigations have discovered insufficient proof.

The Legendary Opening

Marius's excursions permit visitors to participate in a small-scale research of their own. When nearing the opening in the trees where Barnea photographed his well-known UFO photographs, he gives 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 vegetation immediately cease as they step into a flawless round. The only greenery is the short grass beneath our feet; it's apparent that it hasn't been mown, and seems that this bizarre meadow is organic, not the work of human hands.

Between Reality and Imagination

The broader region is a area which fuels fantasy, where the border is blurred between truth and myth. In rural Romanian communities faith continues in strigoi ("screamers") – undead, appearance-altering vampires, who emerge from tombs to haunt local communities.

The novelist's renowned character Dracula is always connected with Transylvania, and Bran Castle – a medieval building situated on a stone formation in the mountain range – is keenly marketed as "the vampire's home".

But despite folklore-rich Transylvania – truly, "the land past the woods" – seems real and understandable versus these eerie woods, which give the impression of being, for factors nuclear, atmospheric or purely mythical, a center for fantasy projection.

"Inside these woods," Marius says, "the division between reality and imagination is very thin."