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"Locals dub this spot a mysterious vortex of Transylvania," states an experienced guide, his exhalation creating wisps of mist in the crisp evening air. "Countless people have gone missing here, some say it's an entrance to a parallel world." Marius is leading a traveler on a night walk through commonly known as the globe's spookiest forest: Hoia-Baciu, an area covering one square mile of ancient native woodland on the outskirts of the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

Centuries of Mystery

Accounts of strange happenings here go back centuries – the grove is called after a local shepherd who is believed to have disappeared in the long ago, along with two hundred animals. But Hoia-Baciu came to worldwide fame in 1968, when an army specialist known as Emil Barnea photographed what he reported as a UFO hovering above a oval meadow in the centre of the forest.

Many came in here and failed to return. But no need to fear," he states, facing his guest with a grin. "Our excursions have a perfect safety record."

In the time after, Hoia-Baciu has brought in meditation experts, shamans, UFO researchers and paranormal investigators from worldwide, interested in encountering the unusual forces said to echo through the forest.

Current Risks

Despite being one of the world's premier pilgrimage sites for lovers of the paranormal, the forest is at risk. The outlying areas of Cluj-Napoca – a contemporary technology center of more than 400,000 people, described as the innovation center of the region – are advancing, and developers are campaigning for permission to remove the forest to erect housing complexes.

Except for a small area home to area-specific Mediterranean oak trees, the grove is not officially protected, but Marius believes that the company he helped establish – a local conservation effort – will contribute to improving the situation, encouraging the local administrators to recognise the forest's significance as a visitor destination.

Spooky Experiences

When small sticks and autumn leaves split and rustle beneath their shoes, the guide describes numerous traditional stories and claimed supernatural events here.

• One famous story describes a five-year-old girl disappearing during a group gathering, then to return after five years with no memory of the events, showing no signs of aging a day, her clothes shy of the smallest trace of dirt.
• More common reports detail smartphones and imaging devices unexpectedly failing on entering the woods.
• Emotional responses vary from complete terror to states of ecstasy.
• Various visitors claim seeing bizarre skin irritations on their bodies, hearing unseen murmurs through the woodland, or sense hands grabbing them, even when convinced they're by themselves.

Scientific Investigations

Although numerous of the stories may be impossible to confirm, numerous elements clearly observable that is undeniably strange. Throughout the area are trees whose bases are warped and gnarled into bizarre configurations.

Multiple explanations have been given to clarify the abnormal growth: strong gales could have shaped the young trees, or inherently elevated electromagnetic fields in the ground account for their crooked growth.

But formal examinations have discovered no satisfactory evidence.

The Legendary Opening

The expert's walks permit participants to take part in a modest investigation of their own. When nearing the opening in the woods where Barnea took his well-known UFO images, he gives the traveler an electromagnetic field detector which registers EMF readings.

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

The trees suddenly stop dead as we emerge into a flawless round. The only greenery is the short grass beneath our feet; it's clear that it's naturally occurring, and looks that this unusual opening is natural, not the result of landscaping.

The Blurred Line

Transylvania generally is a location which stirs the imagination, where the line is unclear between reality and legend. In rural Romanian communities superstition remains in strigoi ("screamers") – undead, form-changing creatures, who rise from their graves to frighten nearby villages.

The novelist's famous character Dracula is always connected with Transylvania, and the legendary fortress – an ancient structure situated on a stone formation in the mountain range – is keenly marketed as "Dracula's Castle".

But despite folklore-rich Transylvania – truly, "the territory after the grove" – feels solid and predictable in contrast to this spooky forest, which seem to be, for causes radioactive, climatic or purely mythical, a nexus for creative energy.

"Within this forest," Marius says, "the line between truth and fantasy is extremely fine."