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"They call this place an enigmatic zone of Transylvania," states an experienced guide, the air from his lungs creating clouds of vapor in the cold evening air. "Numerous people have disappeared here, some say it's an entrance to a different realm." This expert is leading a traveler on a night walk through frequently labeled as the planet's most ghostly woodland: Hoia-Baciu, a section spanning 640 acres of ancient native woodland on the fringes of the metropolis of Cluj-Napoca.

Hundreds of Years of Enigma

Reports of bizarre occurrences here go back a long time – the grove is called after a area shepherd who is believed to have disappeared in the distant past, accompanied by his entire flock. But Hoia-Baciu achieved worldwide fame in 1968, when an army specialist called Emil Barnea photographed what he reported as a unidentified flying object suspended above a oval meadow in the centre of the forest.

Countless ventured inside and never came out. But no need to fear," he adds, turning to the traveler with a grin. "Our tours have a flawless completion rate."

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

Current Risks

Despite being one of the world's premier pilgrimage sites for paranormal enthusiasts, this woodland is at risk. The western suburbs of Cluj-Napoca – a contemporary technology center of over 400,000 residents, called the tech capital of the region – are advancing, and real estate firms are pushing for permission to remove the forest to construct residential buildings.

Barring a few hectares home to area-specific Mediterranean oak trees, this woodland is lacking legal protection, but the guide is confident that the company he helped establish – a local conservation effort – will assist in altering this, encouraging the local administrators to acknowledge the forest's value as a travel hotspot.

Chilling Events

While branches and autumn leaves snap and crunch beneath their footwear, Marius describes various local legends and alleged supernatural events here.

• One famous story recounts a little girl vanishing during a family picnic, only to reappear half a decade later with complete amnesia of her experience, without aging a moment, her attire without the tiniest bit of dirt.
• More common reports detail mobile phones and photography gear mysteriously turning off on entering the woods.
• Feelings include absolute fear to moments of euphoria.
• Certain individuals claim seeing bizarre skin irritations on their skin, perceiving unseen murmurs through the forest, or experience palms pushing them, despite being convinced they're by themselves.

Research Efforts

While many of the tales may be hard to prove, there are many things clearly observable that is undeniably strange. All around are vegetation whose bases are curved and contorted into unusual forms.

Different theories have been suggested to account for the abnormal growth: that hurricane winds could have altered the growth, or typically increased electromagnetic fields in the earth cause their crooked growth.

But formal examinations have found inconclusive results.

The Legendary Opening

Marius's walks allow guests to participate in a small-scale research of their own. When nearing the meadow in the woods where Barnea photographed his renowned UFO pictures, he gives his guest an ghost-hunting device which measures energy patterns.

"We're venturing into the most active part of the forest," he states. "Discover what's here."

The vegetation immediately cease as the group enters into a flawless round. The sole vegetation is the short grass beneath their shoes; it's obvious that it hasn't been mown, and seems that this bizarre meadow is organic, not the result of human hands.

Fact Versus Fiction

This part of Romania is a location which stirs the imagination, where the border is indistinct between reality and legend. In traditional settlements belief persists in strigoi ("screamers") – otherworldly, shapeshifting bloodsuckers, who rise from their graves to terrorise nearby villages.

Bram Stoker's well-known fictional vampire is permanently linked with Transylvania, and the legendary fortress – an ancient structure located on a cliff edge in the mountain range – is actively advertised as "the vampire's home".

But even folklore-rich Transylvania – actually, "the territory after the grove" – seems real and understandable versus this spooky forest, which seem to be, for reasons related to radiation, climatic or purely mythical, a nexus for fantasy projection.

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