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"People refer to this location a mysterious vortex of Transylvania," explains an experienced guide, the air from his lungs producing clouds of condensation in the crisp dusk atmosphere. "Numerous visitors have vanished here, some say it's an entrance to a different realm." This expert is leading a visitor on a evening stroll through what is often described as the world's most haunted forest: Hoia-Baciu, a section spanning 640 acres of ancient native woodland on the outskirts of the metropolis of Cluj-Napoca.

Hundreds of Years of Enigma

Reports of strange happenings here go back hundreds of years – this woodland is named after a area shepherd who is reportedly went missing in the distant past, along with his entire flock. But Hoia-Baciu gained worldwide fame in 1968, when a military technician called Emil Barnea captured on film what he reported as a UFO hovering above a oval meadow in the heart of the forest.

Numerous entered this place and never came out. But rest assured," he adds, addressing his guest with a smirk. "Our guided walks have a 100% return rate."

In the time after, Hoia-Baciu has attracted yogis, shamans, ufologists and ghost hunters from worldwide, interested in encountering the mysterious powers believed to resonate through the forest.

Current Risks

Despite being among the planet's leading destinations for supernatural fans, the grove is at risk. The western suburbs of Cluj-Napoca – an innovative digital cluster of more than 400,000 people, called the tech capital of eastern Europe – are encroaching, and real estate firms are campaigning for approval to cut down the woods to erect housing complexes.

Except for a limited section containing locally rare specific tree species, the forest is lacking legal protection, but Marius is confident that the company he was instrumental in creating – a local conservation effort – will assist in altering this, persuading the authorities to appreciate the forest's importance as a travel hotspot.

Chilling Events

While branches and fall foliage snap and crunch beneath their boots, Marius recounts various local legends and reported supernatural events here.

• A popular tale recounts a five-year-old girl disappearing during a family outing, then to reappear after five years with complete amnesia of the events, without aging a moment, her garments shy of the tiniest bit of dust.
• Regular stories detail cellphones and imaging devices unexpectedly failing on venturing inside.
• Reactions include full-blown dread to moments of euphoria.
• Certain individuals claim noticing bizarre skin irritations on their bodies, perceiving disembodied whispers through the woodland, or experience palms pushing them, although sure they are alone.

Study Attempts

While many of the tales may be unverifiable, numerous elements clearly observable that is certainly unusual. All around are plants whose bases are curved and contorted into bizarre configurations.

Different theories have been given to account for the abnormal growth: powerful storms could have bent the saplings, or naturally high radioactivity in the soil cause their unusual development.

But scientific investigations have turned up insufficient proof.

The Famous Clearing

The guide's tours enable visitors to engage in a little scientific inquiry of their own. As we approach the opening in the forest where Barnea took his renowned UFO pictures, he passes the visitor an ghost-hunting device which detects EMF readings.

"We're entering the most powerful part of the forest," he says. "Try to detect something."

The plants immediately cease as they step into a flawless round. The only greenery is the low vegetation beneath our feet; it's apparent that it's not maintained, and appears that this strange clearing is wild, not the creation of human hands.

The Blurred Line

This part of Romania is a location which fuels fantasy, where the line is unclear between fact and folklore. In countryside villages superstition remains in strigoi ("screamers") – otherworldly, appearance-altering creatures, who rise from their graves to frighten local communities.

The novelist's famous character Dracula is permanently linked with Transylvania, and Bran Castle – a medieval building located on a rocky outcrop in the Carpathian Mountains – is keenly marketed as "Dracula's Castle".

But even myth-shrouded Transylvania – truly, "the place beyond the forest" – seems solid and predictable compared to the haunted grove, which seem to be, for reasons related to radiation, environmental or simply folkloric, a nexus for creative energy.

"Inside these woods," the guide says, "the boundary between truth and fantasy is very thin."