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"They call this place a mysterious vortex of Transylvania," remarks an experienced guide, his breath forming clouds of condensation in the chilly night air. "So many people have vanished here, many believe it's a portal to a different realm." Marius is guiding a guest on a evening stroll through what is often described as the globe's spookiest forest: Hoia-Baciu, a section spanning 640 acres of old-growth native woodland on the edges of the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

Centuries of Mystery

Stories of unusual events here go back a long time – this woodland is titled for a regional herder who is believed to have disappeared in the far-off times, along with 200 of his sheep. But Hoia-Baciu gained worldwide fame in 1968, when a defense worker named Emil Barnea photographed what he reported as a unidentified flying object suspended above a circular clearing in the middle of the forest.

Countless ventured inside and failed to return. But no need to fear," he states, turning to the visitor with a smirk. "Our tours have a flawless completion rate."

In the years that followed, Hoia-Baciu has drawn yoga practitioners, spiritual healers, UFO researchers and paranormal investigators from worldwide, eager to feel the strange energies reported to reverberate through the forest.

Contemporary Dangers

It may be one of the world's premier destinations for paranormal enthusiasts, this woodland is under threat. The outlying areas of Cluj-Napoca – a modern tech hub of a population exceeding 400,000, known as the tech capital of the region – are advancing, and developers are campaigning for authorization to remove the forest to construct residential buildings.

Except for a small area containing regionally uncommon Mediterranean oak trees, this woodland is not officially protected, but the guide hopes that the initiative he was instrumental in creating – a dedicated preservation group – will assist in altering this, motivating the authorities to recognise the forest's importance as a tourist attraction.

Spooky Experiences

While branches and seasonal debris break and crackle beneath their boots, Marius describes various folk tales and alleged paranormal happenings here.

• A well-known account describes a little girl going missing during a family outing, then to rematerialise half a decade later with no memory of the events, having not aged a moment, her attire without the smallest trace of soil.
• Regular stories explain mobile phones and photography gear inexplicably shutting down on stepping into the forest.
• Reactions vary from absolute fear to moments of euphoria.
• Various visitors claim noticing bizarre skin irritations on their arms, detecting ghostly voices through the trees, or sense palms pushing them, although certain nobody is nearby.

Scientific Investigations

While many of the tales may be impossible to confirm, there is much clearly observable that is definitely bizarre. Everywhere you look are plants whose trunks are curved and contorted into bizarre configurations.

Different theories have been suggested to clarify the deformed trees: that hurricane winds could have bent the saplings, or inherently elevated radioactivity in the earth cause their crooked growth.

But research studies have found inconclusive results.

The Famous Clearing

The expert's walks enable participants to engage in a little scientific inquiry of their own. As we approach the opening in the woods where Barnea captured his renowned UFO images, he gives the traveler an electromagnetic field detector which detects EMF readings.

"We're entering the most active section of the forest," he says. "Discover what's here."

The trees suddenly stop dead as they step into a perfect circle. The single plant life is the short grass beneath our feet; it's obvious that it hasn't been mown, and looks that this unusual opening is natural, not the creation of human hands.

Fact Versus Fiction

This part of Romania is a place which fuels fantasy, where the border is unclear between truth and myth. In rural Romanian communities superstition remains in strigoi ("screamers") – otherworldly, shapeshifting vampires, who rise from their graves to frighten nearby villages.

The famous author's well-known character Dracula is permanently linked with Transylvania, and Bran Castle – a Saxon monolith perched on a stone formation in the Carpathian Mountains – is actively advertised as "Dracula's Castle".

But including myth-shrouded Transylvania – literally, "the place beyond the forest" – appears tangible and comprehensible versus this spooky forest, which appear to be, for causes nuclear, atmospheric or simply folkloric, a center for creative energy.

"Inside these woods," the guide comments, "the division between truth and fantasy is remarkably blurred."