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"People refer to this spot a mysterious vortex of Transylvania," explains a tour guide, the air from his lungs creating wisps of mist in the cold dusk atmosphere. "Numerous visitors have disappeared here, some say there's a gateway to another dimension." The guide is guiding a traveler on a nocturnal tour through what is often described as the planet's most ghostly forest: Hoia-Baciu, a square mile of ancient indigenous forest on the fringes of the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

Hundreds of Years of Enigma

Stories of unusual events here go back hundreds of years – the grove is called after a area shepherd who is said to have vanished in the long ago, along with his entire flock. But Hoia-Baciu gained global recognition in 1968, when a defense worker named Emil Barnea photographed what he described as a UFO hovering above a circular clearing in the middle of the forest.

Many came in here and vanished without trace. But rest assured," he adds, facing the visitor with a smile. "Our guided walks have a perfect safety record."

In the decades since, Hoia-Baciu has drawn yoga practitioners, shamans, UFO researchers and ghost hunters from around the globe, eager to feel the mysterious powers believed to resonate through the forest.

Contemporary Dangers

Despite being among the planet's leading pilgrimage sites for paranormal enthusiasts, the grove is under threat. The outlying areas of Cluj-Napoca – a modern tech hub of a population exceeding 400,000, known as the Silicon Valley of eastern Europe – are encroaching, and construction companies are advocating for authorization to clear the trees to construct residential buildings.

Aside from a few hectares containing locally rare specific tree species, this woodland is without conservation status, but Marius believes that the company he helped establish – a dedicated preservation group – will help to change that, motivating the local administrators to recognise the forest's significance as a travel hotspot.

Eerie Encounters

While branches and autumn leaves break and crackle beneath their footwear, the guide recounts various local legends and claimed paranormal happenings here.

• One famous story describes a young child disappearing during a family picnic, then to reappear after five years with complete amnesia of what had happened, without aging a day, her attire shy of the slightest speck of soil.
• Regular stories detail cellphones and camera equipment inexplicably shutting down on stepping into the forest.
• Emotional responses include complete terror to moments of euphoria.
• Various visitors state observing unusual marks on their bodies, perceiving unseen murmurs through the trees, or sense hands grabbing them, although convinced they're by themselves.

Scientific Investigations

While many of the accounts may be unverifiable, there are many things clearly observable that is certainly unusual. All around are vegetation whose stems are curved and contorted into fantastical shapes.

Multiple explanations have been suggested to account for the deformed trees: that hurricane winds could have altered the growth, or naturally high radioactivity in the earth cause their strange formation.

But formal examinations have discovered no satisfactory evidence.

The Legendary Opening

Marius's tours enable participants to participate in a little scientific inquiry of their own. As we approach the opening in the trees where Barnea photographed his well-known UFO images, he gives the visitor an ghost-hunting device which measures EMF readings.

"We're stepping into the most active part of the forest," he states. "See what you can find."

The plants immediately cease as we emerge into a flawless round. The only greenery is the short grass beneath the ground; it's apparent that it's naturally occurring, and looks that this bizarre meadow is natural, not the creation of landscaping.

Between Reality and Imagination

Transylvania generally is a place which fuels fantasy, where the division is indistinct between reality and legend. In rural Romanian communities belief persists in strigoi ("screamers") – supernatural, form-changing vampires, who emerge from tombs to haunt local communities.

The novelist's well-known character Dracula is forever associated with Transylvania, and the legendary fortress – a medieval building perched on a stone formation in the mountain range – is keenly marketed as "the count's residence".

But despite myth-shrouded Transylvania – literally, "the territory after the grove" – seems real and understandable in contrast to this spooky forest, which give the impression of being, for factors radioactive, climatic or entirely legendary, a hub for creative energy.

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