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"Locals dub this location an enigmatic zone of Transylvania," remarks a local guide, his exhalation creating puffs of vapor in the chilly night air. "Numerous visitors have gone missing here, many believe there's a gateway to a different realm." The guide is leading a guest on a night walk through commonly known as the planet's most ghostly forest: Hoia-Baciu, a square mile of primeval local woods on the outskirts of the metropolis of Cluj-Napoca.

Hundreds of Years of Enigma

Stories of bizarre occurrences here date back a long time – this woodland is named after a regional herder who is believed to have disappeared in the distant past, together with two hundred animals. But Hoia-Baciu came to worldwide fame in 1968, when an army specialist known as Emil Barnea captured on film what he reported as a flying saucer floating above a round opening in the middle of the forest.

Numerous entered this place and failed to return. But no need to fear," he states, turning to the visitor with a smirk. "Our guided walks have a perfect safety record."

In the years that followed, Hoia-Baciu has attracted yogis, shamans, extraterrestrial investigators and ghost hunters from across the world, eager to feel the unusual forces believed to resonate through the forest.

Current Risks

It may be one of the world's premier pilgrimage sites for supernatural fans, this woodland is at risk. The outlying areas of Cluj-Napoca – an innovative digital cluster of over 400,000 residents, described as the tech capital of eastern Europe – are expanding, and construction companies are campaigning for permission to cut down the woods to construct residential buildings.

Barring a limited section housing regionally uncommon specific tree species, this woodland is without conservation status, but the guide believes that the initiative he helped establish – the Hoia-Baciu Project – will contribute to improving the situation, encouraging the authorities to acknowledge the forest's significance as a travel hotspot.

Eerie Encounters

As twigs and seasonal debris snap and crunch beneath their footwear, the guide recounts numerous folk tales and reported paranormal happenings here.

• A well-known account recounts a five-year-old girl disappearing during a group gathering, only to rematerialise five years later with no recollection of what had happened, having not aged a single day, her attire shy of the smallest trace of soil.
• More common reports describe cellphones and camera equipment mysteriously turning off on venturing inside.
• Reactions range from absolute fear to moments of euphoria.
• Some people state observing strange rashes on their skin, hearing unseen murmurs through the trees, or sense palms pushing them, despite being convinced they're by themselves.

Study Attempts

Despite several of the stories may be unverifiable, there are many things visibly present that is certainly unusual. Throughout the area are vegetation whose trunks are curved and contorted into bizarre configurations.

Different theories have been given to clarify the deformed trees: strong gales could have shaped the young trees, or typically increased radiation levels in the ground explain their strange formation.

But scientific investigations have turned up inconclusive results.

The Famous Clearing

Marius's walks enable visitors to take part in a small-scale research of their own. As we approach the clearing in the woods where Barnea took his renowned UFO photographs, he gives the traveler an EMF meter which detects EMF readings.

"We're stepping into the most powerful section of the forest," he comments. "See what you can find."

The trees immediately cease as they step into a perfect circle. The single plant life is the trimmed turf beneath the ground; it's clear that it's not maintained, and looks that this unusual opening is wild, not the work of human hands.

The Blurred Line

Transylvania generally is a location which inspires creativity, where the border is blurred between fact and folklore. In countryside villages belief persists in strigoi ("screamers") – undead, appearance-altering creatures, who return from burial sites to terrorise local communities.

The famous author's famous fictional vampire is permanently linked with Transylvania, and the historic stronghold – a Saxon monolith situated on a stone formation in the mountain range – is heavily promoted as "the vampire's home".

But even legend-filled Transylvania – truly, "the place beyond the forest" – feels real and understandable versus the haunted grove, which give the impression of being, for causes related to radiation, environmental or purely mythical, a hub for human imaginative power.

"Within this forest," the guide comments, "the line between reality and imagination is remarkably blurred."