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"They call this spot a mysterious vortex of Transylvania," explains a local guide, the air from his lungs creating clouds of condensation in the chilly night air. "Numerous visitors have vanished here, some say it's an entrance to a different realm." Marius is guiding a traveler on a evening stroll through commonly known as the planet's most ghostly forest: Hoia-Baciu, an area covering one square mile of old-growth native woodland on the outskirts of the Transylvanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

Hundreds of Years of Enigma

Accounts of bizarre occurrences here extend back hundreds of years – the forest is named after a area shepherd who is reportedly went missing in the distant past, together with his entire flock. But Hoia-Baciu came to international attention in 1968, when a defense worker called Emil Barnea captured on film what he reported as a flying saucer floating above a circular clearing in the heart of the forest.

Numerous entered this place and failed to return. But no need to fear," he states, addressing his guest with a grin. "Our tours have a 100% return rate."

In the time after, Hoia-Baciu has drawn yoga practitioners, traditional medicine people, UFO researchers and supernatural researchers from across the world, curious to experience the mysterious powers believed to resonate through the forest.

Modern Threats

Although it is one of the world's premier destinations for paranormal enthusiasts, the forest is facing danger. The western suburbs of Cluj-Napoca – a contemporary technology center of more than 400,000 people, described as the Silicon Valley of the region – are encroaching, and real estate firms are advocating for approval to remove the forest to construct residential buildings.

Aside from a limited section housing regionally uncommon specific tree species, the forest is not officially protected, but Marius is confident that the company he helped establish – a dedicated preservation group – will assist in altering this, encouraging the local administrators to recognise the forest's value as a tourist attraction.

Chilling Events

When small sticks and fall foliage break and crackle beneath their footwear, Marius describes numerous local legends and alleged paranormal happenings here.

• A well-known account recounts a young child vanishing during a family outing, then to reappear half a decade later with no recollection of her experience, without aging a moment, her clothes lacking the slightest speck of dirt.
• Regular stories explain mobile phones and imaging devices mysteriously turning off on stepping into the forest.
• Emotional responses range from complete terror to moments of euphoria.
• Certain individuals claim seeing strange rashes on their skin, detecting unseen murmurs through the forest, or experience palms pushing them, although convinced they're by themselves.

Study Attempts

Although numerous of the stories may be impossible to confirm, numerous elements before my eyes that is undeniably strange. All around are vegetation whose trunks are bent and twisted into fantastical shapes.

Different theories have been suggested to account for the deformed trees: strong gales could have altered the growth, or naturally high electromagnetic fields in the soil explain their strange formation.

But formal examinations have turned up no satisfactory evidence.

The Famous Clearing

The expert's excursions allow visitors to participate in a little scientific inquiry of their own. As we approach the opening in the woods where Barnea photographed his famous UFO images, he hands his guest an EMF meter which measures energy patterns.

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

The plants abruptly end as the group enters into a flawless round. The only greenery is the short grass beneath their shoes; it's apparent that it hasn't been mown, and seems that this unusual opening is organic, not the result of human hands.

Between Reality and Imagination

This part of Romania is a area which inspires creativity, where the border is indistinct between fact and folklore. In countryside villages belief persists in strigoi ("screamers") – otherworldly, shapeshifting vampires, who emerge from tombs to frighten regional populations.

The famous author's famous character Dracula is permanently linked with Transylvania, and the legendary fortress – a medieval building located on a rocky outcrop in the Carpathian Mountains – is actively advertised as "the count's residence".

But including folklore-rich Transylvania – truly, "the land past the woods" – appears tangible and comprehensible versus this spooky forest, which appear to be, for reasons related to radiation, environmental or purely mythical, a center for human imaginative power.

"Within this forest," the guide says, "the line between fact and fiction is remarkably blurred."