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"They call this spot an enigmatic zone of Transylvania," explains an experienced guide, his exhalation creating wisps of vapor in the crisp evening air. "Numerous people have disappeared here, some say there's a gateway to another dimension." This expert is guiding a guest on a nocturnal tour through what is often described as the planet's most ghostly woodland: Hoia-Baciu, an area covering one square mile of old-growth indigenous forest on the outskirts of the Transylvanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

Centuries of Mystery

Stories of strange happenings here date back centuries – the forest is named after a regional herder who is believed to have disappeared in the far-off times, along with 200 of his sheep. But Hoia-Baciu achieved international attention in 1968, when an army specialist named Emil Barnea photographed what he claimed was a unidentified flying object floating above a oval meadow in the centre of the forest.

Many came in here and never came out. But no need to fear," he continues, turning to the visitor with a grin. "Our guided walks have a 100% return rate."

In the years that followed, Hoia-Baciu has brought in meditation experts, spiritual healers, ufologists and paranormal investigators from around the globe, curious to experience the mysterious powers believed to resonate through the forest.

Contemporary Dangers

It may be among the planet's leading destinations for paranormal enthusiasts, the grove is under threat. The outlying areas of Cluj-Napoca – a modern tech hub of more than 400,000 people, known as the tech capital of Eastern Europe – are encroaching, and construction companies are campaigning for approval to clear the trees to erect housing complexes.

Barring a small area home to area-specific specific tree species, the forest is lacking legal protection, but the guide believes that the company he helped establish – the Hoia-Baciu Project – will contribute to improving the situation, motivating the government officials to acknowledge the forest's value as a tourist attraction.

Chilling Events

As twigs and autumn leaves split and rustle beneath their shoes, Marius recounts various folk tales and alleged paranormal happenings here.

• One famous story tells of a young child vanishing during a family outing, later to reappear after five years with no recollection of the events, having not aged a single day, her clothes shy of the slightest speck of dust.
• Regular stories detail mobile phones and camera equipment mysteriously turning off on stepping into the forest.
• Feelings range from complete terror to feelings of joy.
• Certain individuals report noticing bizarre skin irritations on their skin, perceiving unseen murmurs through the forest, or feel fingers clutching them, despite being certain nobody is nearby.

Scientific Investigations

Although numerous of the stories may be impossible to confirm, there is much before my eyes that is definitely bizarre. All around are trees whose bases are bent and twisted into bizarre configurations.

Different theories have been proposed to explain the abnormal growth: strong gales could have shaped the young trees, or naturally high radioactivity in the soil account for their unusual development.

But formal examinations have found insufficient proof.

The Legendary Opening

The guide's walks enable participants to engage in a little scientific inquiry of their own. When nearing the opening in the woods where Barnea took his well-known UFO images, he hands the traveler an electromagnetic field detector which detects EMF readings.

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

The plants abruptly end as they step into a flawless round. The single plant life is the short grass beneath their shoes; it's clear that it hasn't been mown, and seems that this strange clearing is wild, not the creation of people.

Between Reality and Imagination

Transylvania generally is a location which inspires creativity, where the border is blurred between fact and folklore. In traditional settlements belief persists in strigoi ("screamers") – supernatural, form-changing creatures, who rise from their graves to haunt nearby villages.

The famous author's famous vampire Count Dracula is forever associated with Transylvania, and the legendary fortress – a medieval building perched on a cliff edge in the mountain range – is keenly marketed as "the vampire's home".

But despite folklore-rich Transylvania – literally, "the territory after the grove" – feels tangible and comprehensible versus the haunted grove, which give the impression of being, for factors radioactive, atmospheric or entirely legendary, a center for fantasy projection.

"Inside these woods," the guide comments, "the division between fact and fiction is very thin."