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"People refer to this place a mysterious vortex of Transylvania," remarks a tour guide, his exhalation forming wisps of mist in the chilly dusk atmosphere. "Countless individuals have vanished here, many believe it's an entrance to a parallel world." Marius is escorting a guest on a nocturnal tour through frequently labeled as the planet's most ghostly forest: Hoia-Baciu, a section spanning 640 acres of ancient local woods on the edges of the Transylvanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

Centuries of Mystery

Stories of bizarre occurrences here extend back centuries – the forest is named after a area shepherd who is said to have vanished in the long ago, together with his entire flock. But Hoia-Baciu came to global recognition in 1968, when a defense worker called Emil Barnea captured on film what he reported as a flying saucer suspended above a round opening in the middle of the forest.

Many came in here and failed to return. But rest assured," he continues, facing the traveler with a smirk. "Our tours have a flawless completion rate."

In the years that followed, Hoia-Baciu has drawn meditation experts, traditional medicine people, UFO researchers and paranormal investigators from worldwide, eager to feel the unusual forces believed to resonate through the forest.

Contemporary Dangers

Although it is one of the world's premier pilgrimage sites for paranormal enthusiasts, this woodland is facing danger. The western districts of Cluj-Napoca – a modern tech hub of more than 400,000 people, called the innovation center of eastern Europe – are encroaching, and construction companies are pushing for approval to cut down the woods to erect housing complexes.

Except for a limited section housing area-specific specific tree species, the grove is lacking legal protection, but the guide hopes that the initiative he helped establish – a dedicated preservation group – will contribute to improving the situation, encouraging the authorities to appreciate the forest's significance as a travel hotspot.

Eerie Encounters

As twigs and autumn leaves break and crackle beneath their footwear, the guide tells some of the local legends and reported supernatural events here.

• A well-known account recounts a young child vanishing during a group gathering, then to return after five years with no recollection of what had happened, having not aged a day, her attire shy of the tiniest bit of dust.
• More common reports describe cellphones and camera equipment inexplicably shutting down on venturing inside.
• Emotional responses vary from absolute fear to moments of euphoria.
• Various visitors report seeing bizarre skin irritations on their skin, detecting ghostly voices through the forest, or experience hands grabbing them, even when convinced they're by themselves.

Study Attempts

Despite several of the stories may be impossible to confirm, there are many things clearly observable that is undeniably strange. Everywhere you look are plants whose bases are warped and gnarled into bizarre configurations.

Different theories have been proposed to account for the deformed trees: strong gales could have altered the growth, or naturally high electromagnetic fields in the earth cause their crooked growth.

But formal examinations have found no satisfactory evidence.

The Famous Clearing

Marius's excursions enable guests to take part in a small-scale research of their own. Upon reaching the clearing in the forest where Barnea took his famous UFO images, he passes the visitor an electromagnetic field detector which detects electromagnetic fields.

"We're stepping into the most active section of the forest," he says. "Discover what's here."

The trees suddenly stop dead as we emerge into a perfect circle. The sole vegetation is the short grass beneath our feet; it's clear that it hasn't been mown, and appears that this strange clearing is natural, not the work of landscaping.

Fact Versus Fiction

Transylvania generally is a location which fuels fantasy, where the division is blurred between reality and legend. In rural Romanian communities faith continues in strigoi ("screamers") – supernatural, shapeshifting creatures, who return from burial sites to frighten local communities.

The novelist's renowned character Dracula is always connected with Transylvania, and the historic stronghold – an ancient structure located on a stone formation in the Carpathian Mountains – is heavily promoted as "Dracula's Castle".

But despite myth-shrouded Transylvania – truly, "the territory after the grove" – feels tangible and comprehensible compared to this spooky forest, which appear to be, for causes related to radiation, atmospheric or simply folkloric, a hub for creative energy.

"Inside these woods," the guide comments, "the line between fact and fiction is very thin."