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"Locals dub this place an enigmatic zone of Transylvania," states a local guide, the air from his lungs forming puffs of condensation in the chilly dusk atmosphere. "Numerous people have vanished here, some say there's a gateway to a different realm." This expert is leading a visitor on a evening stroll through what is often described as the planet's most ghostly forest: Hoia-Baciu, an area covering one square mile of ancient local woods on the fringes of the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

Centuries of Mystery

Reports of unusual events here go back centuries – the forest is called after a local shepherd who is said to have vanished in the far-off times, along with his entire flock. But Hoia-Baciu gained worldwide fame in 1968, when a defense worker known as Emil Barnea took a picture of what he claimed was a UFO suspended above a oval meadow in the heart of the forest.

Countless ventured inside and vanished without trace. But rest assured," he adds, turning to his guest with a smile. "Our tours have a 100% return rate."

In the time after, Hoia-Baciu has drawn yoga practitioners, shamans, extraterrestrial investigators and supernatural researchers from across the world, curious to experience the mysterious powers said to echo through the forest.

Current Risks

Although it is one of the world's premier hotspots for supernatural fans, this woodland is under threat. The western districts of Cluj-Napoca – a contemporary technology center of over 400,000 residents, described as the Silicon Valley of the region – are expanding, and real estate firms are advocating for authorization to remove the forest to construct residential buildings.

Barring a few hectares home to area-specific oak varieties, this woodland is not officially protected, but Marius hopes that the organization he was instrumental in creating – the Hoia-Baciu Project – will help to change that, persuading the local administrators to acknowledge the forest's value as a travel hotspot.

Eerie Encounters

When small sticks and autumn leaves break and crackle beneath their shoes, Marius describes various folk tales and claimed ghostly incidents here.

• One famous story recounts a five-year-old girl vanishing during a family picnic, only to reappear after five years with complete amnesia of her experience, without aging a single day, her attire shy of the smallest trace of dust.
• More common reports describe cellphones and camera equipment unexpectedly failing on stepping into the forest.
• Feelings include complete terror to moments of euphoria.
• Some people claim seeing unusual marks on their arms, detecting unseen murmurs through the trees, or feel fingers clutching them, despite being sure they are alone.

Study Attempts

Although numerous of the tales may be unverifiable, there are many things clearly observable that is definitely bizarre. All around are plants whose stems are bent and twisted into unusual forms.

Different theories have been given to explain the deformed trees: powerful storms could have bent the saplings, or inherently elevated radiation levels in the soil cause their unusual development.

But scientific investigations have turned up inconclusive results.

The Legendary Opening

The guide's excursions enable participants to engage in a small-scale research of their own. When nearing the clearing in the trees where Barnea took his well-known UFO photographs, he gives his guest an EMF meter which detects EMF readings.

"We're entering the most energetic section of the forest," he comments. "Try to detect something."

The plants abruptly end as the group enters into a complete ring. The sole vegetation is the trimmed turf beneath their shoes; it's apparent that it's naturally occurring, and appears that this unusual opening is wild, not the result of people.

The Blurred Line

The broader region is a location which inspires creativity, where the division is blurred between fact and folklore. In rural Romanian communities belief persists in strigoi ("screamers") – undead, shapeshifting vampires, who emerge from tombs to frighten nearby villages.

The famous author's well-known vampire Count Dracula is always connected 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 despite folklore-rich Transylvania – literally, "the territory after the grove" – feels real and understandable compared to the haunted grove, which seem to be, for causes radioactive, atmospheric or purely mythical, a hub for fantasy projection.

"In Hoia-Baciu," the guide comments, "the boundary between reality and imagination is very thin."