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"Locals dub this spot a mysterious vortex of Transylvania," remarks an experienced guide, the air from his lungs creating puffs of mist in the chilly evening air. "Numerous visitors have vanished here, it's thought it's an entrance to a different realm." Marius is leading a traveler on a nocturnal tour through frequently labeled as the world's most haunted grove: Hoia-Baciu, a square mile of primeval native woodland on the edges of the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

Hundreds of Years of Enigma

Accounts of bizarre occurrences here extend back a long time – the grove is named after a local shepherd who is said to have vanished in the far-off times, along with 200 of his sheep. But Hoia-Baciu gained international attention in 1968, when a defense worker named Emil Barnea photographed what he described as a UFO hovering above a round opening in the middle of the forest.

Many came in here and failed to return. But rest assured," he adds, addressing the visitor with a smile. "Our tours have a 100% return rate."

In the decades since, Hoia-Baciu has drawn meditation experts, traditional medicine people, UFO researchers and ghost hunters from around the globe, interested in encountering the mysterious powers believed to resonate through the forest.

Current Risks

It may be among the planet's leading hotspots for supernatural fans, the grove is facing danger. The western suburbs of Cluj-Napoca – a modern tech hub of a population exceeding 400,000, described as the tech capital of Eastern Europe – are expanding, and construction companies are advocating for permission to cut down the woods to construct residential buildings.

Barring a small area home to regionally uncommon Mediterranean oak trees, this woodland is lacking legal protection, but the guide is confident that the initiative he co-founded – a dedicated preservation group – will contribute to improving the situation, persuading the local administrators to recognise the forest's value as a tourist attraction.

Spooky Experiences

While branches and seasonal debris snap and crunch beneath their boots, the guide describes numerous traditional stories and reported supernatural events here.

• A well-known account describes a five-year-old girl vanishing during a group gathering, then to return after five years with no recollection of what had happened, showing no signs of aging a day, her attire lacking the tiniest bit of dust.
• More common reports describe cellphones and camera equipment inexplicably shutting down on venturing inside.
• Feelings include complete terror to moments of euphoria.
• Certain individuals claim seeing unusual marks on their skin, perceiving ghostly voices through the woodland, or experience fingers clutching them, although certain nobody is nearby.

Scientific Investigations

While many of the stories may be impossible to confirm, there is much visibly present that is undeniably strange. Throughout the area are trees whose bases are warped and gnarled into bizarre configurations.

Different theories have been proposed to clarify the deformed trees: strong gales could have altered the growth, or naturally high radiation levels in the ground explain their unusual development.

But formal examinations have found no satisfactory evidence.

The Famous Clearing

The expert's walks allow participants to participate in a little scientific inquiry of their own. When nearing the clearing in the woods where Barnea captured his well-known UFO photographs, he passes the traveler an EMF meter which registers energy patterns.

"We're entering the most powerful part of the forest," he states. "See what you can find."

The trees immediately cease as they step into a perfect circle. The single plant life is the short grass beneath the ground; it's clear that it's naturally occurring, and seems that this unusual opening is wild, not the creation of landscaping.

The Blurred Line

This part of Romania is a location which stirs the imagination, where the division is blurred between fact and folklore. In rural Romanian communities superstition remains in strigoi ("screamers") – undead, form-changing vampires, who return from burial sites to frighten local communities.

Bram Stoker's well-known vampire Count Dracula is permanently linked with Transylvania, and the legendary fortress – an ancient structure perched on a cliff edge in the mountain range – is keenly marketed as "the vampire's home".

But even folklore-rich Transylvania – literally, "the land past the woods" – appears real and understandable compared to this spooky forest, which appear to be, for causes related to radiation, environmental or simply folkloric, a hub for fantasy projection.

"Inside these woods," the guide says, "the boundary between reality and imagination is very thin."