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"Locals dub this location a mysterious vortex of Transylvania," remarks a local guide, his exhalation producing clouds of condensation in the chilly evening air. "Numerous people have disappeared here, some say there's a gateway to a parallel world." The guide is escorting a guest on a evening stroll through what is often described as the planet's most ghostly woodland: Hoia-Baciu, a square mile of ancient local woods on the edges of the metropolis of Cluj-Napoca.

Centuries of Mystery

Reports of unusual events here date back a long time – the forest is called after a local shepherd who is believed to have disappeared in the far-off times, accompanied by 200 of his sheep. But Hoia-Baciu achieved worldwide fame in 1968, when an army specialist known as Emil Barnea captured on film what he described as a UFO floating above a oval meadow in the middle of the forest.

Countless ventured inside and failed to return. But don't worry," he continues, turning to his guest with a smile. "Our tours have a perfect safety record."

In the years that followed, Hoia-Baciu has drawn yoga practitioners, spiritual healers, UFO researchers and ghost hunters from worldwide, interested in encountering the strange energies reported to reverberate through the forest.

Current Risks

It may be one of the world's premier pilgrimage sites for lovers of the paranormal, the forest is facing danger. The western districts of Cluj-Napoca – a modern tech hub of more than 400,000 people, called the innovation center of Eastern Europe – are advancing, and real estate firms are pushing for permission to remove the forest to construct residential buildings.

Barring a limited section housing regionally uncommon Mediterranean oak trees, this woodland is not officially protected, but Marius believes that the initiative he was instrumental in creating – a dedicated preservation group – will help to change that, persuading the government officials to appreciate the forest's importance as a travel hotspot.

Eerie Encounters

When small sticks and autumn leaves break and crackle beneath their boots, the guide describes numerous folk tales and alleged ghostly incidents here.

• A well-known account tells of a five-year-old girl going missing during a family outing, then to reappear after five years with no memory of what had happened, without aging a moment, her attire lacking the slightest speck of soil.
• Frequent accounts explain smartphones and photography gear mysteriously turning off on stepping into the forest.
• Reactions vary from complete terror to moments of euphoria.
• Various visitors claim seeing bizarre skin irritations on their arms, hearing ghostly voices through the woodland, or feel palms pushing them, despite being convinced they're by themselves.

Scientific Investigations

Despite several of the accounts may be hard to prove, there is much clearly observable that is certainly unusual. Everywhere you look are trees whose trunks are warped and gnarled into unusual forms.

Different theories have been given to account for the abnormal growth: that hurricane winds could have altered the growth, or typically increased radioactivity in the ground explain their strange formation.

But research studies have turned up insufficient proof.

The Famous Clearing

Marius's walks allow visitors to engage in a little scientific inquiry of their own. As we approach the meadow in the woods where Barnea photographed his renowned UFO images, he passes his guest an EMF meter which registers EMF readings.

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

The trees suddenly stop dead as they step into a perfect circle. The sole vegetation is the short grass beneath our feet; it's clear that it hasn't been mown, and seems that this bizarre meadow is organic, not the result of landscaping.

Between Reality and Imagination

Transylvania generally is a place which stirs the imagination, where the border is unclear between truth and myth. In traditional settlements faith continues in strigoi ("screamers") – otherworldly, appearance-altering vampires, who emerge from tombs to frighten regional populations.

The famous author's well-known character Dracula is permanently linked with Transylvania, and the historic stronghold – a Saxon monolith perched on a stone formation in the Transylvanian Alps – is keenly marketed as "Dracula's Castle".

But despite folklore-rich Transylvania – literally, "the place beyond the forest" – appears solid and predictable in contrast to this spooky forest, which seem to be, for factors related to radiation, environmental or purely mythical, a center for creative energy.

"Inside these woods," Marius says, "the line between fact and fiction is very thin."