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"People refer to this spot a mysterious vortex of Transylvania," explains a local guide, his breath creating wisps of mist in the chilly dusk atmosphere. "Numerous individuals have disappeared here, it's thought there's a gateway to a parallel world." Marius is leading a traveler on a nocturnal tour through what is often described as the planet's most ghostly grove: Hoia-Baciu, a section spanning 640 acres of old-growth native woodland on the fringes of the Transylvanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

A Long History of the Unexplained

Reports of unusual events here go back centuries – the forest is titled for a area shepherd who is reportedly went missing in the distant past, accompanied by his entire flock. But Hoia-Baciu achieved international attention in 1968, when a military technician called Emil Barnea photographed what he reported as a UFO floating above a circular clearing in the heart of the forest.

Numerous entered this place and failed to return. But rest assured," he states, addressing the visitor with a grin. "Our tours have a 100% return rate."

In the time after, Hoia-Baciu has brought in yoga practitioners, spiritual healers, ufologists and supernatural researchers from around the globe, curious to experience the strange energies said to echo through the forest.

Current Risks

It may be one of the world's premier pilgrimage sites for paranormal enthusiasts, this woodland is under threat. The western suburbs of Cluj-Napoca – a contemporary technology center of more than 400,000 people, known as the innovation center of the region – are advancing, and construction companies are campaigning for approval to clear the trees to erect housing complexes.

Aside from a small area housing locally rare oak varieties, the grove is not officially protected, but Marius believes that the company he co-founded – a local conservation effort – will contribute to improving the situation, persuading the local administrators to appreciate the forest's importance as a travel hotspot.

Spooky Experiences

While branches and fall foliage break and crackle beneath their footwear, Marius recounts numerous traditional stories and reported ghostly incidents here.

• A popular tale describes a young child vanishing during a group gathering, only to return half a decade later with no memory of her experience, showing no signs of aging a moment, her attire lacking the slightest speck of dust.
• Regular stories explain smartphones and camera equipment mysteriously turning off on stepping into the forest.
• Emotional responses vary from full-blown dread to states of ecstasy.
• Some people claim seeing bizarre skin irritations on their arms, hearing unseen murmurs through the forest, or sense palms pushing them, although convinced they're by themselves.

Study Attempts

Despite several of the tales may be hard to prove, numerous elements clearly observable that is definitely bizarre. Everywhere you look are trees whose bases are warped and gnarled into unusual forms.

Various suggestions have been proposed to explain the abnormal growth: strong gales could have shaped the young trees, or inherently elevated electromagnetic fields in the ground cause their crooked growth.

But formal examinations have discovered no satisfactory evidence.

The Famous Clearing

The expert's walks enable visitors to take part in a little scientific inquiry of their own. Upon reaching the opening in the trees where Barnea captured his famous UFO photographs, he hands his guest an EMF meter which measures energy patterns.

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

The trees abruptly end as the group enters into a flawless round. The sole vegetation is the low vegetation beneath the ground; it's clear that it's naturally occurring, and seems that this strange clearing is wild, not the creation of people.

Between Reality and Imagination

The broader region is a area which stirs the imagination, where the border is blurred between truth and myth. In traditional settlements faith continues in strigoi ("screamers") – otherworldly, appearance-altering bloodsuckers, who return from burial sites to frighten local communities.

Bram Stoker's renowned fictional vampire is forever associated with Transylvania, and Bran Castle – a medieval building perched on a stone formation in the Carpathian Mountains – is heavily promoted as "the vampire's home".

But including myth-shrouded Transylvania – actually, "the territory after the grove" – seems solid and predictable versus this spooky forest, which give the impression of being, for causes related to radiation, climatic or entirely legendary, a center for human imaginative power.

"In Hoia-Baciu," the guide states, "the boundary between truth and fantasy is extremely fine."