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"They call this location a mysterious vortex of Transylvania," states an experienced guide, his breath producing wisps of condensation in the chilly dusk atmosphere. "Countless people have vanished here, some say it's an entrance to a different realm." Marius is leading a guest on a nocturnal tour through what is often described as the planet's most ghostly woodland: Hoia-Baciu, a square mile of old-growth indigenous forest on the edges of the metropolis of Cluj-Napoca.

A Long History of the Unexplained

Reports of bizarre occurrences here extend back hundreds of years – the grove is called after a local shepherd who is reportedly went missing in the distant past, accompanied by 200 of his sheep. But Hoia-Baciu achieved international attention in 1968, when a military technician named Emil Barnea photographed what he described as a flying saucer suspended above a circular clearing in the heart of the forest.

Many came in here and failed to return. But rest assured," he adds, addressing his guest with a grin. "Our guided walks have a flawless completion rate."

In the time after, Hoia-Baciu has attracted yoga practitioners, shamans, extraterrestrial investigators and paranormal investigators from around the globe, curious to experience the mysterious powers said to echo through the forest.

Contemporary Dangers

It may be a top global destinations for lovers of the paranormal, the grove is under threat. The outlying areas of Cluj-Napoca – a modern tech hub of more than 400,000 people, described as the innovation center of eastern Europe – are encroaching, and construction companies are advocating for permission to clear the trees to construct residential buildings.

Except for a limited section housing regionally uncommon Mediterranean oak trees, the forest is without conservation status, but Marius hopes that the company he was instrumental in creating – a dedicated preservation group – will contribute to improving the situation, persuading the local administrators to appreciate the forest's significance as a travel hotspot.

Spooky Experiences

While branches and fall foliage snap and crunch beneath their footwear, Marius tells numerous traditional stories and reported supernatural events here.

• A well-known account describes a little girl disappearing during a group gathering, only to return half a decade later with complete amnesia of the events, showing no signs of aging a moment, her clothes without the slightest speck of dirt.
• More common reports explain mobile phones and photography gear mysteriously turning off on stepping into the forest.
• Reactions range from full-blown dread to feelings of joy.
• Certain individuals claim seeing strange rashes on their skin, hearing disembodied whispers through the trees, or experience hands grabbing them, although certain nobody is nearby.

Study Attempts

Although numerous of the stories may be unverifiable, there is much visibly present that is certainly unusual. All around are plants whose bases are warped and gnarled into bizarre configurations.

Multiple explanations have been proposed to clarify the abnormal growth: powerful storms could have shaped the young trees, or typically increased radiation levels in the soil account for their unusual development.

But scientific investigations have turned up inconclusive results.

The Famous Clearing

The guide's tours permit participants to engage in a little scientific inquiry of their own. When nearing the opening in the woods where Barnea photographed his renowned UFO pictures, he passes the visitor an ghost-hunting device which measures EMF readings.

"We're stepping into the most energetic section of the forest," he says. "See what you can find."

The plants immediately cease as we emerge into a complete ring. The single plant life is the low vegetation beneath our feet; it's clear that it's not maintained, and seems that this unusual opening is organic, not the result of people.

Between Reality and Imagination

Transylvania generally is a area which stirs the imagination, where the line is unclear between fact and folklore. In countryside villages faith continues in strigoi ("screamers") – otherworldly, form-changing vampires, who emerge from tombs to terrorise nearby villages.

The famous author's renowned fictional vampire is permanently linked with Transylvania, and the legendary fortress – a Saxon monolith located on a rocky outcrop in the mountain range – is heavily promoted as "the count's residence".

But including myth-shrouded Transylvania – truly, "the territory after the grove" – appears real and understandable versus these eerie woods, which seem to be, for factors related to radiation, environmental or purely mythical, a center for fantasy projection.

"Inside these woods," Marius comments, "the boundary between fact and fiction is remarkably blurred."