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"They call this location an enigmatic zone of Transylvania," remarks a local guide, his exhalation creating puffs of vapor in the chilly night air. "Numerous individuals have disappeared here, many believe there's a gateway to a different realm." The guide is guiding a visitor on a nocturnal tour through what is often described as the world's most haunted grove: Hoia-Baciu, a square mile of primeval native woodland on the fringes of the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

Centuries of Mystery

Reports of strange happenings here go back hundreds of years – this woodland is named after a area shepherd who is said to have vanished in the far-off times, together with 200 of his sheep. But Hoia-Baciu achieved international attention in 1968, when a defense worker called Emil Barnea photographed what he claimed was a flying saucer hovering above a round opening in the centre of the forest.

Countless ventured inside and never came out. But rest assured," he continues, facing his guest with a smile. "Our excursions have a flawless completion rate."

In the decades since, Hoia-Baciu has drawn yoga practitioners, traditional medicine people, ufologists and supernatural researchers from across the world, interested in encountering the strange energies reported to reverberate through the forest.

Modern Threats

It may be among the planet's leading pilgrimage sites for supernatural fans, the forest is facing danger. The western suburbs of Cluj-Napoca – a modern tech hub of a population exceeding 400,000, called the Silicon Valley of the region – are encroaching, and developers are pushing for approval to remove the forest to build apartment blocks.

Barring a limited section containing locally rare oak varieties, this woodland is without conservation status, but Marius hopes that the organization he was instrumental in creating – a dedicated preservation group – will help to change that, encouraging the government officials to acknowledge the forest's importance as a visitor destination.

Chilling Events

While branches and fall foliage snap and crunch beneath their shoes, Marius describes various traditional stories and alleged paranormal happenings here.

• A popular tale recounts a young child disappearing during a family picnic, then to return after five years with no memory of what had happened, without aging a moment, her attire lacking the slightest speck of dirt.
• Frequent accounts describe cellphones and camera equipment mysteriously turning off on venturing inside.
• Emotional responses range from full-blown dread to moments of euphoria.
• Various visitors state observing unusual marks on their bodies, perceiving disembodied whispers through the forest, or experience palms pushing them, despite being certain nobody is nearby.

Research Efforts

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

Multiple explanations have been proposed to explain the abnormal growth: strong gales could have bent the saplings, or typically increased radioactivity in the soil explain their unusual development.

But scientific investigations have discovered no satisfactory evidence.

The Legendary Opening

The expert's walks permit participants to participate in a small-scale research of their own. As we approach the clearing in the woods where Barnea took his renowned UFO images, he hands the traveler an ghost-hunting device which measures electromagnetic fields.

"We're entering the most energetic area of the forest," he says. "Try to detect something."

The trees abruptly end as we emerge into a flawless round. The single plant life is the low vegetation beneath our feet; it's obvious that it's not maintained, and appears that this bizarre meadow is wild, not the result of people.

Fact Versus Fiction

This part of Romania is a place which inspires creativity, where the border is unclear between reality and legend. In rural Romanian communities superstition remains in strigoi ("screamers") – supernatural, form-changing creatures, who return from burial sites to frighten regional populations.

The famous author's renowned vampire Count Dracula is forever associated with Transylvania, and the legendary fortress – a Saxon monolith perched on a stone formation in the Carpathian Mountains – is heavily promoted as "the count's residence".

But including legend-filled Transylvania – literally, "the territory after the grove" – feels real and understandable versus these eerie woods, which give the impression of being, for factors related to radiation, environmental or entirely legendary, a nexus for fantasy projection.

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