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"They call this spot an enigmatic zone of Transylvania," states a tour guide, his exhalation creating wisps of mist in the crisp night air. "So many people have disappeared here, some say it's a portal to a parallel world." The guide is leading a traveler on a evening stroll through what is often described as the world's most haunted woodland: Hoia-Baciu, a square mile of primeval indigenous forest on the edges of the Transylvanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

A Long History of the Unexplained

Stories of bizarre occurrences here date back hundreds of years – this woodland is called after a regional herder who is said to have vanished in the distant past, along with two hundred animals. But Hoia-Baciu came to worldwide fame in 1968, when a military technician named Emil Barnea took a picture of what he described as a UFO floating above a oval meadow in the middle of the forest.

Numerous entered this place and never came out. But rest assured," he adds, turning to his guest with a smile. "Our excursions have a perfect safety record."

In the time after, Hoia-Baciu has brought in yoga practitioners, shamans, extraterrestrial investigators and supernatural researchers from across the world, interested in encountering the unusual forces reported to reverberate through the forest.

Current Risks

It may be among the planet's leading destinations for paranormal enthusiasts, the grove is facing danger. The outlying areas of Cluj-Napoca – a modern tech hub of more than 400,000 people, called the Silicon Valley of the region – are advancing, and developers are pushing for authorization to remove the forest to build apartment blocks.

Barring a few hectares home to area-specific Mediterranean oak trees, this woodland is without conservation status, but the guide is confident that the initiative he helped establish – the Hoia-Baciu Project – will contribute to improving the situation, motivating the authorities to appreciate the forest's importance as a travel hotspot.

Chilling Events

When small sticks and fall foliage split and rustle beneath their footwear, the guide describes some of the local legends and claimed ghostly incidents here.

• A well-known account tells of a five-year-old girl going missing during a family outing, later to reappear five years later with no recollection of her experience, having not aged a day, her garments lacking the tiniest bit of soil.
• Regular stories detail cellphones and imaging devices inexplicably shutting down on stepping into the forest.
• Reactions include full-blown dread to moments of euphoria.
• Certain individuals claim seeing unusual marks on their arms, perceiving unseen murmurs through the woodland, or sense hands grabbing them, although convinced they're by themselves.

Study Attempts

While many of the tales may be impossible to confirm, there are many things clearly observable that is certainly unusual. Everywhere you look are plants whose bases are curved and contorted into fantastical shapes.

Multiple explanations have been given to clarify the misshapen plants: powerful storms could have altered the growth, or inherently elevated radioactivity in the soil explain their strange formation.

But formal examinations have found insufficient proof.

The Legendary Opening

Marius's tours allow participants to engage in a little scientific inquiry of their own. Upon reaching the clearing in the forest where Barnea photographed his famous UFO images, he hands the visitor an EMF meter which registers electromagnetic fields.

"We're entering the most energetic part of the forest," he states. "Discover what's here."

The plants abruptly end as we emerge into a complete ring. The single plant life is the low vegetation beneath the ground; it's obvious that it hasn't been mown, and appears that this unusual opening is organic, not the result of landscaping.

The Blurred Line

This part of Romania is a location which inspires creativity, where the division is blurred between fact and folklore. In rural Romanian communities belief persists in strigoi ("screamers") – undead, form-changing vampires, who rise from their graves to haunt local communities.

The famous author's famous fictional vampire is forever associated with Transylvania, and the historic stronghold – an ancient structure located on a stone formation in the Carpathian Mountains – is actively advertised as "the count's residence".

But despite myth-shrouded Transylvania – truly, "the land past the woods" – feels real and understandable versus the haunted grove, which seem to be, for factors nuclear, environmental or simply folkloric, a hub for creative energy.

"In Hoia-Baciu," Marius comments, "the division between fact and fiction is very thin."