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"People refer to this location a mysterious vortex of Transylvania," states an experienced guide, his exhalation creating clouds of condensation in the chilly evening air. "So many people have disappeared here, many believe it's a portal to a different realm." The guide is leading a guest on a nocturnal tour through what is often described as the globe's spookiest woodland: Hoia-Baciu, a section spanning 640 acres of primeval indigenous forest on the fringes of the Transylvanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

Centuries of Mystery

Reports of bizarre occurrences here date back centuries – the forest is called after a local shepherd who is said to have vanished in the far-off times, along with two hundred animals. But Hoia-Baciu achieved global recognition in 1968, when a defense worker named Emil Barnea captured on film what he described as a flying saucer suspended above a round opening in the centre of the forest.

Countless ventured inside and failed to return. But rest assured," he continues, facing his guest with a smile. "Our tours have a flawless completion rate."

In the time after, Hoia-Baciu has drawn yoga practitioners, traditional medicine people, extraterrestrial investigators and supernatural researchers from across the world, curious to experience the mysterious powers believed to resonate through the forest.

Modern Threats

Although it is one of the world's premier destinations for supernatural fans, the forest is at risk. The western suburbs of Cluj-Napoca – an innovative digital cluster of a population exceeding 400,000, known as the innovation center of Eastern Europe – are encroaching, and real estate firms are campaigning for authorization to remove the forest to construct residential buildings.

Barring a small area home to area-specific Mediterranean oak trees, the forest is not officially protected, but Marius believes that the initiative he helped establish – a local conservation effort – will contribute to improving the situation, encouraging the authorities to appreciate the forest's significance as a visitor destination.

Spooky Experiences

As twigs and autumn leaves snap and crunch beneath their shoes, Marius recounts some of the local legends and alleged paranormal happenings here.

• A popular tale tells of a little girl vanishing during a family picnic, only to rematerialise half a decade later with complete amnesia of her experience, without aging a single day, her clothes shy of the smallest trace of dirt.
• Frequent accounts detail mobile phones and imaging devices unexpectedly failing on stepping into the forest.
• Reactions vary from absolute fear to states of ecstasy.
• Some people claim noticing unusual marks on their arms, detecting disembodied whispers through the trees, or sense hands grabbing them, even when convinced they're by themselves.

Scientific Investigations

Despite several of the tales may be unverifiable, numerous elements before my eyes that is definitely bizarre. Everywhere you look are plants whose stems are bent and twisted into bizarre configurations.

Multiple explanations have been suggested to account for the misshapen plants: that hurricane winds could have bent the saplings, or inherently elevated radioactivity in the ground account for their unusual development.

But scientific investigations have turned up no satisfactory evidence.

The Notorious Meadow

The expert's excursions permit participants to engage in a small-scale research of their own. When nearing the opening in the forest where Barnea photographed his renowned UFO pictures, he gives the traveler an EMF meter which detects electromagnetic fields.

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

The vegetation immediately cease as we emerge into a complete ring. The sole vegetation is the short grass beneath the ground; it's clear that it's not maintained, and looks that this strange clearing is organic, not the result of human hands.

Between Reality and Imagination

The broader region is a place which fuels fantasy, where the border is blurred between truth and myth. In rural Romanian communities faith continues in strigoi ("screamers") – supernatural, shapeshifting creatures, who return from burial sites to terrorise regional populations.

The novelist's renowned character Dracula is always connected with Transylvania, and the legendary fortress – an ancient structure located on a cliff edge in the Transylvanian Alps – is actively advertised as "the vampire's home".

But including myth-shrouded Transylvania – truly, "the land past the woods" – feels tangible and comprehensible in contrast to the haunted grove, which give the impression of being, for factors related to radiation, climatic or entirely legendary, a hub for fantasy projection.

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