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"They call this location a mysterious vortex of Transylvania," remarks an experienced guide, his breath producing puffs of condensation in the cold dusk atmosphere. "Countless visitors have vanished here, many believe it's a portal to a different realm." The guide is escorting a visitor on a night walk through commonly known as the planet's most ghostly woodland: Hoia-Baciu, an area covering one square mile of primeval native woodland on the outskirts of the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

Hundreds of Years of Enigma

Reports of unusual events here date back centuries – the forest is titled for a regional herder who is reportedly went missing in the far-off times, along with two hundred animals. But Hoia-Baciu gained global recognition in 1968, when a defense worker called Emil Barnea took a picture of what he described as a flying saucer floating above a oval meadow in the middle of the forest.

Many came in here and failed to return. But no need to fear," he states, turning to the traveler with a grin. "Our tours have a flawless completion rate."

In the decades since, Hoia-Baciu has brought in yogis, traditional medicine people, UFO researchers and paranormal investigators from across the world, interested in encountering the unusual forces said to echo through the forest.

Contemporary Dangers

Although it is among the planet's leading destinations for lovers of the paranormal, this woodland is under threat. The western suburbs of Cluj-Napoca – a modern tech hub of over 400,000 residents, described as the Silicon Valley of eastern Europe – are advancing, and real estate firms are advocating for approval to cut down the woods to construct residential buildings.

Aside from a small area containing area-specific Mediterranean oak trees, the forest is not officially protected, but Marius is confident that the organization he was instrumental in creating – the Hoia-Baciu Project – will contribute to improving the situation, persuading the authorities to acknowledge the forest's importance as a tourist attraction.

Eerie Encounters

While branches and seasonal debris snap and crunch beneath their shoes, Marius recounts numerous traditional stories and claimed paranormal happenings here.

• One famous story describes a little girl disappearing during a family outing, later to reappear five years later with no memory of what had happened, showing no signs of aging a day, her clothes shy of the smallest trace of soil.
• Frequent accounts detail smartphones and camera equipment inexplicably shutting down on venturing inside.
• Reactions range from complete terror to moments of euphoria.
• Various visitors report observing bizarre skin irritations on their skin, hearing ghostly voices through the trees, or experience hands grabbing them, even when convinced they're by themselves.

Study Attempts

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

Various suggestions have been proposed to clarify the misshapen plants: powerful storms could have bent the saplings, or inherently elevated radioactivity in the ground cause their unusual development.

But scientific investigations have found inconclusive results.

The Famous Clearing

The expert's tours enable participants to engage in a little scientific inquiry of their own. Upon reaching the clearing in the trees where Barnea captured his renowned UFO pictures, he passes his guest an EMF meter which measures energy patterns.

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

The vegetation immediately cease as they step into a perfect circle. The only greenery is the short grass beneath our feet; it's obvious that it hasn't been mown, and seems that this strange clearing is organic, not the work of landscaping.

Between Reality and Imagination

Transylvania generally is a location which fuels fantasy, where the line is indistinct between truth and myth. In rural Romanian communities faith continues in strigoi ("screamers") – otherworldly, shapeshifting bloodsuckers, who rise from their graves to terrorise nearby villages.

The novelist's renowned fictional vampire is always connected with Transylvania, and the historic stronghold – an ancient structure perched on a rocky outcrop in the Transylvanian Alps – is actively advertised as "Dracula's Castle".

But despite myth-shrouded Transylvania – literally, "the land past the woods" – seems tangible and comprehensible compared to these eerie woods, which appear to be, for factors nuclear, climatic or entirely legendary, a hub for fantasy projection.

"Inside these woods," the guide states, "the division between truth and fantasy is remarkably blurred."