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"Locals dub this spot an enigmatic zone of Transylvania," remarks an experienced guide, his exhalation creating wisps of mist in the chilly night air. "Countless people have disappeared here, it's thought it's a portal to a different realm." Marius is leading a visitor on a nocturnal tour through what is often described as the world's most haunted grove: Hoia-Baciu, an area covering one square mile of primeval native woodland on the fringes of the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

Hundreds of Years of Enigma

Reports of bizarre occurrences here go back a long time – the forest is named after a regional herder who is said to have vanished in the distant past, together with 200 of his sheep. But Hoia-Baciu achieved global recognition in 1968, when an army specialist known as Emil Barnea captured on film what he described as a UFO floating above a circular clearing in the centre of the forest.

Countless ventured inside and vanished without trace. But don't worry," he continues, facing his guest with a smirk. "Our tours have a perfect safety record."

In the decades since, Hoia-Baciu has attracted yogis, shamans, UFO researchers and paranormal investigators from worldwide, eager to feel the strange energies said to echo through the forest.

Modern Threats

It may be one of the world's premier pilgrimage sites for supernatural fans, this woodland is facing danger. The outlying areas of Cluj-Napoca – an innovative digital cluster of over 400,000 residents, described as the tech capital of eastern Europe – are advancing, and real estate firms are campaigning for authorization to clear the trees to construct residential buildings.

Barring a few hectares home to area-specific Mediterranean oak trees, the forest is lacking legal protection, but Marius believes that the company he co-founded – a dedicated preservation group – will contribute to improving the situation, persuading the government officials to appreciate the forest's importance as a tourist attraction.

Eerie Encounters

While branches and seasonal debris snap and crunch beneath their footwear, the guide describes numerous local legends and reported ghostly incidents here.

• A popular tale recounts a five-year-old girl vanishing during a group gathering, later to rematerialise five years later with no recollection of what had happened, without aging a day, her clothes shy of the tiniest bit of dust.
• Regular stories explain mobile phones and imaging devices unexpectedly failing on entering the woods.
• Emotional responses vary from full-blown dread to moments of euphoria.
• Various visitors claim noticing strange rashes on their arms, hearing ghostly voices through the woodland, or sense palms pushing them, although convinced they're by themselves.

Study Attempts

Although numerous of the accounts may be unverifiable, there are many things before my eyes that is certainly unusual. All around are trees whose bases are warped and gnarled into bizarre configurations.

Different theories have been given to clarify the abnormal growth: powerful storms could have shaped the young trees, or naturally high electromagnetic fields in the ground account for their unusual development.

But formal examinations have found insufficient proof.

The Notorious Meadow

The guide's tours allow visitors to take part in a small-scale research of their own. Upon reaching the clearing in the forest where Barnea captured his well-known UFO photographs, he passes the visitor an EMF meter which measures energy patterns.

"We're entering the most active section of the forest," he comments. "Discover what's here."

The trees abruptly end as we emerge into a perfect circle. The only greenery is the short grass beneath their shoes; it's apparent that it's not maintained, and appears that this strange clearing is natural, not the result of people.

Between Reality and Imagination

Transylvania generally is a area which inspires creativity, where the division is blurred between reality and legend. In countryside villages belief persists in strigoi ("screamers") – undead, form-changing creatures, who return from burial sites to terrorise regional populations.

Bram Stoker's renowned character Dracula is forever associated with Transylvania, and the historic stronghold – an ancient structure situated on a cliff edge in the mountain range – is heavily promoted as "the count's residence".

But even myth-shrouded Transylvania – literally, "the territory after the grove" – appears solid and predictable compared to this spooky forest, which give the impression of being, for factors radioactive, environmental or purely mythical, a nexus for creative energy.

"In Hoia-Baciu," Marius says, "the division between fact and fiction is remarkably blurred."