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"Locals dub this place an enigmatic zone of Transylvania," explains a local guide, the air from his lungs producing puffs of mist in the crisp evening air. "So many visitors have gone missing here, some say it's a portal to a different realm." The guide is escorting a guest on a night walk through frequently labeled as the world's most haunted woodland: Hoia-Baciu, a square mile of ancient local woods on the edges of the metropolis of Cluj-Napoca.

Centuries of Mystery

Reports of bizarre occurrences here go back a long time – the grove is named after a area shepherd who is believed to have disappeared in the far-off times, accompanied by his entire flock. But Hoia-Baciu gained international attention in 1968, when an army specialist known as Emil Barnea took a picture of what he claimed was a flying saucer suspended above a circular clearing in the heart of the forest.

Many came in here and failed to return. But don't worry," he continues, facing the visitor with a grin. "Our tours have a 100% return rate."

In the decades since, Hoia-Baciu has attracted yogis, shamans, UFO researchers and paranormal investigators from worldwide, curious to experience the mysterious powers said to echo through the forest.

Contemporary Dangers

It may be among the planet's leading destinations for lovers of the paranormal, this woodland is facing danger. The western suburbs of Cluj-Napoca – an innovative digital cluster of more than 400,000 people, called the innovation center of the region – are advancing, and real estate firms are pushing for authorization to cut down the woods to erect housing complexes.

Barring a limited section housing regionally uncommon oak varieties, the forest is lacking legal protection, but Marius believes that the initiative he was instrumental in creating – a local conservation effort – will help to change that, persuading the authorities to recognise the forest's value as a tourist attraction.

Eerie Encounters

While branches and fall foliage split and rustle beneath their footwear, the guide describes various local legends and alleged paranormal happenings here.

• A well-known account recounts a five-year-old girl vanishing during a family picnic, later to return half a decade later with complete amnesia of her experience, having not aged a moment, her attire lacking the smallest trace of dust.
• Regular stories describe smartphones and photography gear inexplicably shutting down on stepping into the forest.
• Emotional responses include absolute fear to moments of euphoria.
• Some people report seeing bizarre skin irritations on their skin, detecting ghostly voices through the forest, or experience palms pushing them, even when convinced they're by themselves.

Research Efforts

Although numerous of the tales may be impossible to confirm, numerous elements clearly observable that is certainly unusual. All around are vegetation whose trunks are warped and gnarled into bizarre configurations.

Different theories have been given to clarify the misshapen plants: strong gales could have bent the saplings, or naturally high electromagnetic fields in the earth explain their crooked growth.

But formal examinations have turned up no satisfactory evidence.

The Famous Clearing

The guide's tours permit guests to engage in a modest investigation of their own. Upon reaching the meadow in the trees where Barnea took his renowned UFO images, he passes his guest an ghost-hunting device which measures electromagnetic fields.

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

The vegetation immediately cease as they step into a flawless round. The single plant life is the short grass beneath the ground; it's apparent that it's naturally occurring, and seems that this bizarre meadow is natural, not the work of human hands.

Between Reality and Imagination

This part of Romania is a area which stirs the imagination, where the division is blurred between truth and myth. In traditional settlements belief persists in strigoi ("screamers") – otherworldly, form-changing creatures, who emerge from tombs to terrorise nearby villages.

Bram Stoker's renowned fictional vampire is permanently linked with Transylvania, and Bran Castle – an ancient structure perched on a cliff edge in the Transylvanian Alps – is heavily promoted as "the count's residence".

But even folklore-rich Transylvania – literally, "the territory after the grove" – feels real and understandable in contrast to these eerie woods, which appear to be, for factors radioactive, climatic or purely mythical, a center for human imaginative power.

"Within this forest," Marius says, "the boundary between truth and fantasy is remarkably blurred."