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"People refer to this place a mysterious vortex of Transylvania," states a tour guide, the air from his lungs producing puffs of condensation in the crisp dusk atmosphere. "Numerous visitors have gone missing here, it's thought there's a gateway to a parallel world." This expert is escorting a traveler on a evening stroll through commonly known as the planet's most ghostly woodland: Hoia-Baciu, an area covering one square mile of primeval indigenous forest on the fringes of the metropolis of Cluj-Napoca.

A Long History of the Unexplained

Accounts of unusual events here extend back centuries – this woodland is called after a regional herder who is believed to have disappeared in the far-off times, accompanied by 200 of his sheep. But Hoia-Baciu came to international attention in 1968, when a military technician called Emil Barnea captured on film what he reported as a UFO suspended above a oval meadow in the middle of the forest.

Many came in here and never came out. But rest assured," he continues, facing his guest with a smile. "Our excursions have a 100% return rate."

In the years that followed, Hoia-Baciu has attracted meditation experts, shamans, ufologists and supernatural researchers from around the globe, curious to experience the strange energies believed to resonate through the forest.

Contemporary Dangers

It may be one of the world's premier pilgrimage sites for lovers of the paranormal, this woodland is at risk. The western suburbs of Cluj-Napoca – a modern tech hub of over 400,000 residents, called the tech capital of the region – are advancing, and construction companies are campaigning for permission to clear the trees to erect housing complexes.

Barring a limited section housing locally rare specific tree species, the forest is without conservation status, but Marius is confident that the company he co-founded – a local conservation effort – will assist in altering this, persuading the local administrators to appreciate the forest's significance as a visitor destination.

Chilling Events

When small sticks and autumn leaves snap and crunch beneath their footwear, the guide describes numerous local legends and reported ghostly incidents here.

• A well-known account describes a five-year-old girl disappearing during a group gathering, then to rematerialise after five years with complete amnesia of the events, without aging a single day, her garments shy of the smallest trace of dirt.
• Regular stories explain smartphones and camera equipment unexpectedly failing on venturing inside.
• Emotional responses include full-blown dread to states of ecstasy.
• Various visitors report seeing strange rashes on their bodies, perceiving ghostly voices through the woodland, or sense palms pushing them, despite being convinced they're by themselves.

Research Efforts

While many of the accounts may be hard to prove, there is much visibly present that is certainly unusual. Throughout the area are vegetation whose stems are bent and twisted into unusual forms.

Multiple explanations have been given to explain the deformed trees: strong gales could have altered the growth, or typically increased electromagnetic fields in the earth explain their unusual development.

But research studies have turned up insufficient proof.

The Legendary Opening

Marius's excursions permit guests to participate in a small-scale research of their own. Upon reaching the meadow in the forest where Barnea photographed his famous UFO pictures, he passes the visitor an EMF meter which detects electromagnetic fields.

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

The trees abruptly end as the group enters into a complete ring. The single plant life is the low vegetation beneath the ground; it's obvious that it's naturally occurring, and looks that this unusual opening is wild, not the result of landscaping.

Fact Versus Fiction

Transylvania generally is a area which fuels fantasy, where the border is blurred between truth and myth. In rural Romanian communities belief persists in strigoi ("screamers") – supernatural, shapeshifting creatures, who emerge from tombs to frighten regional populations.

Bram Stoker's well-known vampire Count Dracula is forever associated with Transylvania, and the historic stronghold – a medieval building perched on a cliff edge in the Transylvanian Alps – is actively advertised as "the vampire's home".

But including folklore-rich Transylvania – literally, "the territory after the grove" – feels tangible and comprehensible in contrast to this spooky forest, which seem to be, for reasons nuclear, climatic or entirely legendary, a nexus for creative energy.

"Within this forest," Marius comments, "the line between truth and fantasy is remarkably blurred."