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"They call this location an enigmatic zone of Transylvania," states a local guide, the air from his lungs forming wisps of condensation in the crisp evening air. "Countless individuals have gone missing here, it's thought there's a gateway to a parallel world." The guide is escorting a visitor on a nocturnal tour through what is often described as the world's most haunted forest: Hoia-Baciu, a square mile of primeval native woodland on the fringes of the Transylvanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

A Long History of the Unexplained

Reports of bizarre occurrences here extend back a long time – this woodland is titled for a area shepherd who is believed to have disappeared in the long ago, together with two hundred animals. But Hoia-Baciu came to international attention in 1968, when a military technician named Emil Barnea took a picture of what he reported as a unidentified flying object suspended above a round opening in the middle of the forest.

Countless ventured inside and failed to return. But no need to fear," he states, facing the visitor with a smirk. "Our tours have a perfect safety record."

In the time after, Hoia-Baciu has brought in meditation experts, shamans, ufologists and ghost hunters from around the globe, curious to experience the mysterious powers reported to reverberate through the forest.

Current Risks

Although it is among the planet's leading hotspots for lovers of the paranormal, the forest is at risk. The outlying areas of Cluj-Napoca – a modern tech hub of more than 400,000 people, called the Silicon Valley of eastern Europe – are expanding, and construction companies are campaigning for permission to clear the trees to erect housing complexes.

Aside from a small area home to area-specific specific tree species, the grove is not officially protected, but Marius believes that the initiative he co-founded – a local conservation effort – will help to change that, persuading the authorities to acknowledge the forest's significance as a travel hotspot.

Spooky Experiences

When small sticks and fall foliage break and crackle beneath their boots, the guide recounts numerous folk tales and reported paranormal happenings here.

• A well-known account tells of a young child vanishing during a family picnic, only to rematerialise half a decade later with complete amnesia of her experience, without aging a day, her garments lacking the slightest speck of dirt.
• More common reports detail cellphones and camera equipment unexpectedly failing on stepping into the forest.
• Reactions vary from complete terror to states of ecstasy.
• Various visitors claim noticing strange rashes on their skin, hearing disembodied whispers through the trees, or experience fingers clutching them, despite being sure they are alone.

Research Efforts

Despite several of the stories may be hard to prove, numerous elements clearly observable that is definitely bizarre. Everywhere you look are vegetation whose bases are bent and twisted into bizarre configurations.

Different theories have been suggested to account for the deformed trees: that hurricane winds could have altered the growth, or inherently elevated electromagnetic fields in the earth account for their strange formation.

But formal examinations have found insufficient proof.

The Famous Clearing

The expert's tours allow guests to engage in a little scientific inquiry of their own. As we approach the meadow in the forest where Barnea photographed his renowned UFO pictures, he passes his guest an electromagnetic field detector which detects energy patterns.

"We're stepping into the most powerful section of the forest," he says. "Try to detect something."

The plants immediately cease as they step into a complete ring. The only greenery is the short grass beneath their shoes; it's apparent that it's naturally occurring, and looks that this bizarre meadow is organic, not the result of people.

Fact Versus Fiction

Transylvania generally is a place which stirs the imagination, where the border is unclear between truth and myth. In rural Romanian communities belief persists in strigoi ("screamers") – undead, appearance-altering creatures, who emerge from tombs to haunt nearby villages.

The famous author's famous character Dracula is forever associated with Transylvania, and the legendary fortress – an ancient structure located on a stone formation in the mountain range – is actively advertised as "the vampire's home".

But despite myth-shrouded Transylvania – literally, "the land past the woods" – seems real and understandable in contrast to this spooky forest, which give the impression of being, for factors radioactive, environmental or purely mythical, a center for creative energy.

"Within this forest," the guide states, "the line between reality and imagination is remarkably blurred."