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"People refer to this place an enigmatic zone of Transylvania," remarks a tour guide, his breath creating clouds of mist in the cold evening air. "Numerous visitors have disappeared here, many believe it's a portal to another dimension." The guide is escorting a visitor on a nocturnal tour through commonly known as the planet's most ghostly forest: Hoia-Baciu, a section spanning 640 acres of old-growth indigenous forest on the outskirts of the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

Hundreds of Years of Enigma

Accounts of unusual events here extend back hundreds of years – this woodland is called after a area shepherd who is reportedly went missing in the distant past, along with two hundred animals. But Hoia-Baciu came to global recognition in 1968, when a defense worker called Emil Barnea took a picture of what he reported as a UFO floating above a circular clearing in the heart of the forest.

Countless ventured inside and failed to return. But rest assured," he continues, turning to the visitor with a smile. "Our excursions have a 100% return rate."

In the time after, Hoia-Baciu has attracted meditation experts, shamans, ufologists and supernatural researchers from around the globe, curious to experience the strange energies said to echo through the forest.

Current Risks

Although it is a top global hotspots for supernatural fans, the grove is facing danger. The western districts of Cluj-Napoca – an innovative digital cluster of more than 400,000 people, called the innovation center of Eastern Europe – are encroaching, and developers are pushing for approval to remove the forest to erect housing complexes.

Aside from a limited section housing area-specific specific tree species, the forest is not officially protected, but the guide hopes that the initiative he was instrumental in creating – a local conservation effort – will contribute to improving the situation, encouraging the authorities to acknowledge the forest's significance as a travel hotspot.

Chilling Events

While branches and seasonal debris split and rustle beneath their boots, the guide tells various traditional stories and alleged paranormal happenings here.

• One famous story describes a young child vanishing during a group gathering, only to reappear five years later with no memory of what had happened, showing no signs of aging a single day, her clothes shy of the tiniest bit of soil.
• Frequent accounts describe smartphones and camera equipment unexpectedly failing on venturing inside.
• Feelings include full-blown dread to feelings of joy.
• Some people claim observing unusual marks on their skin, detecting ghostly voices through the woodland, or feel fingers clutching them, although sure they are alone.

Scientific Investigations

Despite several of the stories may be hard to prove, numerous elements clearly observable that is definitely bizarre. All around are trees whose trunks are bent and twisted into fantastical shapes.

Various suggestions have been given to clarify the deformed trees: powerful storms could have shaped the young trees, or naturally high radiation levels in the ground cause their unusual development.

But research studies have discovered no satisfactory evidence.

The Legendary Opening

Marius's walks permit visitors to participate in a modest investigation of their own. When nearing the meadow in the trees where Barnea captured his famous UFO pictures, he hands his guest an EMF meter which measures energy patterns.

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

The plants immediately cease as they step into a complete ring. The only greenery is the short grass beneath their shoes; it's clear that it hasn't been mown, and seems that this strange clearing is natural, not the result of people.

Fact Versus Fiction

Transylvania generally is a place which inspires creativity, where the division is indistinct between reality and legend. In traditional settlements faith continues in strigoi ("screamers") – undead, appearance-altering bloodsuckers, who return from burial sites to frighten local communities.

The novelist's renowned fictional vampire is forever associated with Transylvania, and Bran Castle – a medieval building perched on a rocky outcrop in the mountain range – is keenly marketed as "Dracula's Castle".

But including legend-filled Transylvania – literally, "the land past the woods" – seems real and understandable compared to the haunted grove, which give the impression of being, for reasons radioactive, atmospheric or entirely legendary, a nexus for creative energy.

"Within this forest," the guide states, "the boundary between truth and fantasy is extremely fine."