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"Locals dub this location an enigmatic zone of Transylvania," remarks a local guide, his breath producing wisps of condensation in the crisp evening air. "Countless people have gone missing here, it's thought there's a gateway to a different realm." This expert is guiding a traveler on a evening stroll through frequently labeled as the planet's most ghostly woodland: Hoia-Baciu, a section spanning 640 acres of ancient local woods on the fringes of the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

A Long History of the Unexplained

Reports of unusual events here date back hundreds of years – the forest is called after a area shepherd who is believed to have disappeared in the long ago, together with his entire flock. But Hoia-Baciu gained worldwide fame in 1968, when a military technician known as Emil Barnea captured on film what he reported as a UFO hovering above a round opening in the heart of the forest.

Many came in here and never came out. But don't worry," he adds, turning to the visitor with a grin. "Our excursions have a 100% return rate."

In the time after, Hoia-Baciu has attracted yogis, spiritual healers, ufologists and paranormal investigators from around the globe, eager to feel the strange energies reported to reverberate through the forest.

Modern Threats

Despite being a top global hotspots for supernatural fans, this woodland is at risk. The outlying areas of Cluj-Napoca – a contemporary technology center of more than 400,000 people, described as the innovation center of eastern Europe – are encroaching, and construction companies are campaigning for approval to cut down the woods to erect housing complexes.

Barring a few hectares housing area-specific oak varieties, the forest is not officially protected, but Marius hopes that the organization he co-founded – the Hoia-Baciu Project – will help to change that, motivating the authorities to appreciate the forest's importance as a tourist attraction.

Chilling Events

While branches and seasonal debris snap and crunch beneath their footwear, the guide describes various folk tales and alleged ghostly incidents here.

• A well-known account tells of a five-year-old girl going missing during a family picnic, only to rematerialise five years later with complete amnesia of what had happened, showing no signs of aging a moment, her garments lacking the smallest trace of dust.
• Frequent accounts explain smartphones and photography gear mysteriously turning off on venturing inside.
• Reactions include complete terror to feelings of joy.
• Various visitors claim observing bizarre skin irritations on their skin, hearing ghostly voices through the trees, or feel fingers clutching them, even when sure they are alone.

Scientific Investigations

Although numerous of the tales may be hard to prove, there is much clearly observable that is certainly unusual. Throughout the area are vegetation whose stems are curved and contorted into fantastical shapes.

Multiple explanations have been given to explain the abnormal growth: powerful storms could have altered the growth, or inherently elevated radioactivity in the earth cause their unusual development.

But scientific investigations have found no satisfactory evidence.

The Famous Clearing

Marius's tours enable guests to participate in a little scientific inquiry of their own. As we approach the clearing in the forest where Barnea took his famous UFO images, he hands the traveler an electromagnetic field detector which measures energy patterns.

"We're stepping into the most energetic area of the forest," he comments. "Discover what's here."

The plants abruptly end as the group enters into a complete ring. The sole vegetation is the trimmed turf beneath our feet; it's apparent that it hasn't been mown, and looks that this bizarre meadow is wild, not the work of human hands.

Fact Versus Fiction

This part of Romania is a place which fuels fantasy, where the border is blurred between truth and myth. In rural Romanian communities superstition remains in strigoi ("screamers") – undead, form-changing creatures, who rise from their graves to frighten regional populations.

The novelist's famous vampire Count Dracula is forever associated with Transylvania, and Bran Castle – a Saxon monolith located on a rocky outcrop in the Carpathian Mountains – is heavily promoted as "the count's residence".

But including legend-filled Transylvania – actually, "the territory after the grove" – feels solid and predictable compared to the haunted grove, which appear to be, for reasons nuclear, climatic or entirely legendary, a center for fantasy projection.

"Inside these woods," Marius states, "the division between fact and fiction is very thin."