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"Locals dub this location an enigmatic zone of Transylvania," remarks an experienced guide, his exhalation creating clouds of vapor in the chilly dusk atmosphere. "So many individuals have gone missing here, some say it's an entrance to a parallel world." This expert is escorting a traveler on a nocturnal tour through commonly known as the globe's spookiest forest: Hoia-Baciu, a section spanning 640 acres of primeval native woodland on the edges of the metropolis of Cluj-Napoca.

Hundreds of Years of Enigma

Reports of strange happenings here extend back a long time – the forest is called after a local shepherd who is believed to have disappeared in the far-off times, along with two hundred animals. But Hoia-Baciu came to international attention in 1968, when a military technician known as Emil Barnea took a picture of what he claimed was a unidentified flying object floating above a circular clearing in the heart of the forest.

Numerous entered this place and failed to return. But don't worry," he continues, facing his guest with a smile. "Our guided walks have a perfect safety record."

In the time after, Hoia-Baciu has drawn meditation experts, traditional medicine people, ufologists and supernatural researchers from across the world, curious to experience the unusual forces believed to resonate through the forest.

Current Risks

Despite being among the planet's leading destinations for paranormal enthusiasts, this woodland is at risk. The western suburbs of Cluj-Napoca – an innovative digital cluster of over 400,000 residents, known as the tech capital of the region – are encroaching, and real estate firms are campaigning for authorization to clear the trees to build apartment blocks.

Except for a few hectares housing regionally uncommon oak varieties, this woodland is without conservation status, but Marius is confident that the company he co-founded – the Hoia-Baciu Project – will help to change that, persuading the government officials to appreciate the forest's value as a travel hotspot.

Eerie Encounters

While branches and autumn leaves snap and crunch beneath their boots, the guide describes numerous folk tales and reported supernatural events here.

• One famous story tells of a little girl going missing during a family outing, later to reappear half a decade later with complete amnesia of the events, showing no signs of aging a moment, her attire without the tiniest bit of soil.
• Regular stories detail smartphones and imaging devices unexpectedly failing on entering the woods.
• Feelings range from complete terror to moments of euphoria.
• Certain individuals report observing unusual marks on their skin, perceiving disembodied whispers through the trees, or feel hands grabbing them, despite being certain nobody is nearby.

Scientific Investigations

Despite several of the stories may be unverifiable, there are many things before my eyes that is definitely bizarre. Throughout the area are plants whose bases are curved and contorted into bizarre configurations.

Various suggestions have been suggested to explain the abnormal growth: powerful storms could have shaped the young trees, or inherently elevated electromagnetic fields in the earth explain their strange formation.

But scientific investigations have found inconclusive results.

The Legendary Opening

The expert's walks permit visitors to participate in a modest investigation of their own. As we approach the clearing in the trees where Barnea took his well-known UFO photographs, he passes the visitor an ghost-hunting device which detects energy patterns.

"We're venturing into the most powerful area of the forest," he says. "See what you can find."

The vegetation abruptly end as the group enters into a complete ring. The only greenery is the low vegetation beneath the ground; it's obvious that it hasn't been mown, and appears that this bizarre meadow is natural, not the result of people.

Between Reality and Imagination

The broader region is a area which inspires creativity, where the line is indistinct between fact and folklore. In countryside villages superstition remains in strigoi ("screamers") – otherworldly, form-changing vampires, who emerge from tombs to haunt local communities.

The famous author's famous vampire Count Dracula is permanently linked with Transylvania, and the historic stronghold – a medieval building situated on a cliff edge in the Transylvanian Alps – is heavily promoted as "the count's residence".

But even folklore-rich Transylvania – literally, "the land past the woods" – appears solid and predictable versus the haunted grove, which seem to be, for factors related to radiation, atmospheric or purely mythical, a center for creative energy.

"Within this forest," the guide states, "the line between truth and fantasy is extremely fine."