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"People refer to this spot an enigmatic zone of Transylvania," states a tour guide, his exhalation creating puffs of vapor in the chilly dusk atmosphere. "Countless individuals have gone missing here, many believe it's a portal to another dimension." The guide is guiding a visitor on a nocturnal tour through what is often described as the world's most haunted forest: Hoia-Baciu, an area covering one square mile of primeval local woods on the fringes of the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

Centuries of Mystery

Reports of unusual events here go back a long time – this woodland is titled for a area shepherd who is said to have vanished in the far-off times, together with 200 of his sheep. But Hoia-Baciu came to international attention in 1968, when a military technician known as Emil Barnea captured on film what he claimed was a flying saucer hovering above a oval meadow in the middle of the forest.

Numerous entered this place and failed to return. But don't worry," he states, turning to the visitor with a smirk. "Our tours have a perfect safety record."

In the decades since, Hoia-Baciu has drawn yoga practitioners, traditional medicine people, UFO researchers and paranormal investigators from worldwide, curious to experience the strange energies believed to resonate through the forest.

Modern Threats

It may be among the planet's leading pilgrimage sites for paranormal enthusiasts, the grove is under threat. The outlying areas of Cluj-Napoca – a contemporary technology center of over 400,000 residents, described as the innovation center of the region – are expanding, and real estate firms are pushing for permission to clear the trees to construct residential buildings.

Except for a small area housing regionally uncommon Mediterranean oak trees, this woodland is lacking legal protection, but the guide hopes that the initiative he co-founded – the Hoia-Baciu Project – will assist in altering this, persuading the government officials to recognise the forest's value as a visitor destination.

Chilling Events

As twigs and autumn leaves break and crackle beneath their boots, the guide describes numerous folk tales and reported paranormal happenings here.

• A well-known account describes a young child vanishing during a group gathering, only to reappear half a decade later with no recollection of what had happened, showing no signs of aging a single day, her attire shy of the slightest speck of dirt.
• Frequent accounts explain cellphones and camera equipment inexplicably shutting down on stepping into the forest.
• Emotional responses range from absolute fear to moments of euphoria.
• Some people claim seeing strange rashes on their arms, perceiving ghostly voices through the forest, or feel palms pushing them, despite being sure they are alone.

Research Efforts

Although numerous of the accounts may be hard to prove, numerous elements before my eyes that is definitely bizarre. All around are trees whose stems are warped and gnarled into unusual forms.

Multiple explanations have been suggested to explain the deformed trees: that hurricane winds could have altered the growth, or naturally high electromagnetic fields in the ground account for their unusual development.

But formal examinations have turned up inconclusive results.

The Legendary Opening

Marius's walks permit participants to engage in a small-scale research of their own. As we approach the meadow in the forest where Barnea captured his renowned UFO pictures, he hands his guest an EMF meter which measures energy patterns.

"We're venturing into the most powerful section of the forest," he comments. "Discover what's here."

The vegetation suddenly stop dead as the group enters into a complete ring. The sole vegetation is the low vegetation beneath their shoes; it's clear that it hasn't been mown, and seems that this bizarre meadow is wild, not the result of human hands.

The Blurred Line

This part of Romania is a place which inspires creativity, where the line is unclear between fact and folklore. In countryside villages belief persists in strigoi ("screamers") – otherworldly, form-changing creatures, who emerge from tombs to terrorise nearby villages.

Bram Stoker's well-known vampire Count Dracula is permanently linked with Transylvania, and the historic stronghold – a Saxon monolith perched on a rocky outcrop in the Transylvanian Alps – is actively advertised as "the vampire's home".

But despite myth-shrouded Transylvania – truly, "the place beyond the forest" – feels real and understandable compared to the haunted grove, which give the impression of being, for causes related to radiation, environmental or simply folkloric, a hub for creative energy.

"Inside these woods," the guide states, "the line between reality and imagination is very thin."