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"They call this place an enigmatic zone of Transylvania," explains a tour guide, his exhalation producing puffs of vapor in the crisp evening air. "So many people have disappeared here, many believe there's a gateway to a different realm." The guide is leading a guest on a night walk through commonly known as the world's most haunted woodland: Hoia-Baciu, a section spanning 640 acres of ancient indigenous forest on the fringes of the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

Centuries of Mystery

Accounts of bizarre occurrences here date back hundreds of years – the forest is called after a local shepherd who is said to have vanished in the far-off times, together with 200 of his sheep. But Hoia-Baciu came to worldwide fame in 1968, when a military technician known as Emil Barnea photographed what he reported as a flying saucer floating above a round opening in the middle of the forest.

Numerous entered this place and failed to return. But no need to fear," he adds, facing the visitor with a smirk. "Our tours have a 100% return rate."

In the years that followed, Hoia-Baciu has drawn meditation experts, shamans, extraterrestrial investigators and ghost hunters from around the globe, eager to feel the strange energies said to echo through the forest.

Current Risks

Despite being one of the world's premier destinations for lovers of the paranormal, the forest is under threat. The outlying areas of Cluj-Napoca – a contemporary technology center of a population exceeding 400,000, known as the Silicon Valley of the region – are expanding, and real estate firms are campaigning for authorization to clear the trees to build apartment blocks.

Except for a small area housing area-specific specific tree species, the forest is without conservation status, but the guide is confident that the initiative he helped establish – the Hoia-Baciu Project – will contribute to improving the situation, encouraging the government officials to acknowledge the forest's importance as a tourist attraction.

Spooky Experiences

While branches and seasonal debris break and crackle beneath their footwear, the guide recounts numerous traditional stories and alleged ghostly incidents here.

• A well-known account tells of a little girl vanishing during a family picnic, then to reappear after five years with no recollection of what had happened, without aging a day, her garments lacking the tiniest bit of dust.
• Regular stories explain smartphones and imaging devices inexplicably shutting down on venturing inside.
• Reactions vary from complete terror to states of ecstasy.
• Certain individuals report noticing unusual marks on their skin, detecting unseen murmurs through the trees, or sense palms pushing them, despite being sure they are alone.

Research Efforts

Although numerous of the accounts may be unverifiable, there are many things clearly observable that is certainly unusual. Everywhere you look are plants whose stems are bent and twisted into bizarre configurations.

Different theories have been given to explain the abnormal growth: strong gales could have shaped the young trees, or typically increased radiation levels in the ground cause their strange formation.

But formal examinations have turned up insufficient proof.

The Famous Clearing

Marius's excursions permit visitors to participate in a modest investigation of their own. Upon reaching the opening in the forest where Barnea photographed his well-known UFO images, he hands the visitor an EMF meter which registers EMF readings.

"We're entering the most powerful part of the forest," he comments. "See what you can find."

The trees suddenly stop dead as they step into a perfect circle. The single plant life is the trimmed turf beneath the ground; it's clear that it's naturally occurring, and appears that this strange clearing is wild, not the creation of landscaping.

Between Reality and Imagination

Transylvania generally is a location which fuels fantasy, where the division is blurred between reality and legend. In rural Romanian communities superstition remains in strigoi ("screamers") – supernatural, appearance-altering bloodsuckers, who return from burial sites to haunt regional populations.

The novelist's well-known vampire Count Dracula is forever associated with Transylvania, and Bran Castle – an ancient structure perched on a cliff edge in the mountain range – is heavily promoted as "the vampire's home".

But despite legend-filled Transylvania – literally, "the territory after the grove" – appears real and understandable compared to this spooky forest, which give the impression of being, for reasons radioactive, atmospheric or entirely legendary, a hub for creative energy.

"Inside these woods," Marius states, "the line between reality and imagination is remarkably blurred."