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"Locals dub this spot a mysterious vortex of Transylvania," explains an experienced guide, his exhalation creating clouds of condensation in the cold evening air. "So many visitors have disappeared here, it's thought it's an entrance to a different realm." Marius is guiding a traveler on a evening stroll through what is often described as the world's most haunted grove: Hoia-Baciu, an area covering one square mile of old-growth native woodland on the outskirts of the Transylvanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

Centuries of Mystery

Reports of unusual events here date back centuries – this woodland is called after a area shepherd who is believed to have disappeared in the far-off times, together with 200 of his sheep. But Hoia-Baciu achieved worldwide fame in 1968, when a defense worker known as Emil Barnea took a picture of what he described as a UFO hovering above a round opening in the heart of the forest.

Countless ventured inside and never came out. But no need to fear," he continues, facing the traveler with a smile. "Our excursions have a 100% return rate."

In the decades since, Hoia-Baciu has attracted meditation experts, shamans, ufologists and supernatural researchers from across the world, interested in encountering the mysterious powers reported to reverberate through the forest.

Contemporary Dangers

Although it is a top global pilgrimage sites for paranormal enthusiasts, this woodland is under threat. The outlying areas of Cluj-Napoca – a contemporary technology center of a population exceeding 400,000, called the Silicon Valley of the region – are advancing, and developers are advocating for approval to remove the forest to erect housing complexes.

Aside from a few hectares home to locally rare Mediterranean oak trees, this woodland is not officially protected, but Marius believes that the organization he co-founded – the Hoia-Baciu Project – will contribute to improving the situation, encouraging the authorities to appreciate the forest's value as a tourist attraction.

Chilling Events

As twigs and fall foliage snap and crunch beneath their shoes, the guide tells numerous folk tales and reported ghostly incidents here.

• A popular tale describes a little girl disappearing during a family outing, then to reappear five years later with no memory of her experience, without aging a day, her attire without the tiniest bit of soil.
• More common reports detail smartphones and imaging devices unexpectedly failing on entering the woods.
• Feelings range from full-blown dread to moments of euphoria.
• Certain individuals state observing strange rashes on their bodies, perceiving unseen murmurs through the woodland, or feel fingers clutching them, despite being convinced they're by themselves.

Study Attempts

Despite several of the accounts may be unverifiable, there is much visibly present that is certainly unusual. Everywhere you look are plants whose stems are warped and gnarled into bizarre configurations.

Different theories have been proposed to clarify the abnormal growth: powerful storms could have altered the growth, or naturally high electromagnetic fields in the soil account for their strange formation.

But formal examinations have found inconclusive results.

The Notorious Meadow

Marius's excursions enable guests to engage in a little scientific inquiry of their own. Upon reaching the clearing in the woods where Barnea took his famous UFO pictures, he hands his guest an EMF meter which detects energy patterns.

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

The trees suddenly stop dead as the group enters into a flawless round. The only greenery is the short grass beneath their shoes; it's apparent that it's not maintained, and looks that this strange clearing is natural, not the result of human hands.

Between Reality and Imagination

This part of Romania is a location which fuels fantasy, where the division is blurred between reality and legend. In traditional settlements belief persists in strigoi ("screamers") – undead, shapeshifting vampires, who rise from their graves to terrorise local communities.

The novelist's famous fictional vampire is forever associated with Transylvania, and the legendary fortress – a medieval building perched on a cliff edge in the mountain range – is actively advertised as "the count's residence".

But even legend-filled Transylvania – literally, "the territory after the grove" – appears solid and predictable in contrast to these eerie woods, which appear to be, for causes related to radiation, atmospheric or simply folkloric, a center for creative energy.

"Inside these woods," the guide says, "the division between fact and fiction is remarkably blurred."