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"Locals dub this spot an enigmatic zone of Transylvania," remarks a local guide, his breath forming wisps of mist in the chilly night air. "So many visitors have disappeared here, many believe there's a gateway to another dimension." Marius is escorting a visitor on a night walk through frequently labeled as the world's most haunted woodland: Hoia-Baciu, an area covering one square mile of old-growth local woods on the fringes of the Transylvanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

Centuries of Mystery

Reports of bizarre occurrences here extend back a long time – the grove is called after a area shepherd who is believed to have disappeared in the far-off times, along with his entire flock. But Hoia-Baciu achieved global recognition in 1968, when an army specialist named Emil Barnea photographed what he claimed was a unidentified flying object hovering above a circular clearing in the heart of the forest.

Many came in here and vanished without trace. But don't worry," he continues, facing his guest with a grin. "Our excursions have a perfect safety record."

In the time after, Hoia-Baciu has brought in yoga practitioners, spiritual healers, ufologists and ghost hunters from across the world, curious to experience the mysterious powers believed to resonate through the forest.

Contemporary Dangers

Despite being one of the world's premier destinations for lovers of the paranormal, this woodland is facing danger. The outlying areas of Cluj-Napoca – an innovative digital cluster of more than 400,000 people, described as the tech capital of the region – are expanding, and construction companies are pushing for permission to clear the trees to build apartment blocks.

Aside from a limited section containing locally rare oak varieties, the forest is lacking legal protection, but Marius believes that the initiative he co-founded – a dedicated preservation group – will assist in altering this, persuading the local administrators to recognise the forest's value as a travel hotspot.

Spooky Experiences

While branches and seasonal debris break and crackle beneath their shoes, the guide describes various traditional stories and claimed paranormal happenings here.

• A well-known account recounts a five-year-old girl disappearing during a group gathering, then to reappear half a decade later with no memory of the events, showing no signs of aging a day, her clothes shy of the smallest trace of dust.
• Regular stories describe mobile phones and photography gear mysteriously turning off on venturing inside.
• Reactions vary from absolute fear to states of ecstasy.
• Certain individuals claim noticing bizarre skin irritations on their skin, perceiving unseen murmurs through the forest, or feel fingers clutching them, even when convinced they're by themselves.

Study Attempts

Despite several of the stories may be impossible to confirm, numerous elements before my eyes that is undeniably strange. All around are plants whose bases are bent and twisted into bizarre configurations.

Different theories have been suggested to explain the deformed trees: that hurricane winds could have shaped the young trees, or inherently elevated radiation levels in the earth explain their crooked growth.

But scientific investigations have discovered insufficient proof.

The Legendary Opening

Marius's excursions allow visitors to take part in a little scientific inquiry of their own. When nearing the opening in the trees where Barnea photographed his well-known UFO images, he passes the visitor an ghost-hunting device which registers electromagnetic fields.

"We're venturing into the most energetic area of the forest," he comments. "Discover what's here."

The trees immediately cease as the group enters into a flawless round. The single plant life is the low vegetation beneath their shoes; it's clear that it's naturally occurring, and seems that this unusual opening is wild, not the creation of human hands.

The Blurred Line

This part of Romania is a area which inspires creativity, where the division is unclear between truth and myth. In traditional settlements belief persists in strigoi ("screamers") – undead, appearance-altering vampires, who rise from their graves to frighten regional populations.

Bram Stoker's renowned character Dracula is forever associated with Transylvania, and the legendary fortress – an ancient structure perched on a cliff edge in the Carpathian Mountains – is actively advertised as "the count's residence".

But including myth-shrouded Transylvania – literally, "the territory after the grove" – appears real and understandable compared to this spooky forest, which seem to be, for causes related to radiation, environmental or entirely legendary, a nexus for creative energy.

"Inside these woods," the guide comments, "the division between reality and imagination is extremely fine."