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"People refer to this place an enigmatic zone of Transylvania," states an experienced guide, his breath producing puffs of vapor in the crisp dusk atmosphere. "So many people have gone missing here, some say it's a portal to a parallel world." Marius is leading a traveler on a evening stroll through frequently labeled as the planet's most ghostly forest: Hoia-Baciu, a section spanning 640 acres of old-growth local woods on the outskirts of the Transylvanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

Centuries of Mystery

Reports of strange happenings here extend back centuries – the grove is titled for a regional herder who is believed to have disappeared in the far-off times, along with 200 of his sheep. But Hoia-Baciu achieved worldwide fame in 1968, when a defense worker known as Emil Barnea took a picture of what he reported as a flying saucer floating above a circular clearing in the middle of the forest.

Many came in here and never came out. But no need to fear," he adds, addressing his guest with a smile. "Our guided walks have a perfect safety record."

In the years that followed, Hoia-Baciu has drawn yogis, spiritual healers, UFO researchers and paranormal investigators from worldwide, interested in encountering the strange energies believed to resonate through the forest.

Contemporary Dangers

It may be one of the world's premier destinations for supernatural fans, the forest is at risk. The outlying areas of Cluj-Napoca – an innovative digital cluster of a population exceeding 400,000, described as the tech capital of the region – are advancing, and developers are campaigning for approval to cut down the woods to erect housing complexes.

Except for a limited section housing area-specific Mediterranean oak trees, the forest is not officially protected, but Marius hopes that the company he helped establish – the Hoia-Baciu Project – will help to change that, persuading the local administrators to acknowledge the forest's value as a visitor destination.

Eerie Encounters

When small sticks and seasonal debris break and crackle beneath their boots, Marius tells some of the folk tales and reported ghostly incidents here.

• One famous story tells of a young child disappearing during a family picnic, later to rematerialise half a decade later with no recollection of her experience, having not aged a single day, her attire lacking the slightest speck of dust.
• Regular stories detail mobile phones and imaging devices mysteriously turning off on stepping into the forest.
• Reactions vary from full-blown dread to moments of euphoria.
• Certain individuals state observing unusual marks on their skin, perceiving disembodied whispers through the trees, or feel fingers clutching them, although certain nobody is nearby.

Study Attempts

While many of the accounts may be unverifiable, there is much before my eyes that is definitely bizarre. Throughout the area are vegetation whose trunks are bent and twisted into bizarre configurations.

Various suggestions have been given to explain the deformed trees: powerful storms could have altered the growth, or typically increased radiation levels in the soil explain their crooked growth.

But scientific investigations have turned up insufficient proof.

The Legendary Opening

The guide's tours enable guests to engage in a modest investigation of their own. Upon reaching the meadow in the trees where Barnea captured his renowned UFO photographs, he gives the visitor an ghost-hunting device which measures energy patterns.

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

The trees abruptly end as they step into a perfect circle. The only greenery is the short grass beneath their shoes; it's obvious that it's not maintained, and seems that this strange clearing is organic, not the work of people.

Fact Versus Fiction

This part of Romania is a location which fuels fantasy, where the line is indistinct between truth and myth. In traditional settlements faith continues in strigoi ("screamers") – supernatural, form-changing creatures, who return from burial sites to haunt nearby villages.

The famous author's renowned fictional vampire is forever associated with Transylvania, and Bran Castle – a Saxon monolith located on a cliff edge in the mountain range – is heavily promoted as "the vampire's home".

But including folklore-rich Transylvania – literally, "the place beyond the forest" – appears solid and predictable in contrast to the haunted grove, which appear to be, for factors related to radiation, environmental or purely mythical, a nexus for creative energy.

"In Hoia-Baciu," the guide states, "the line between truth and fantasy is very thin."