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"Locals dub this spot an enigmatic zone of Transylvania," states an experienced guide, the air from his lungs forming clouds of vapor in the crisp evening air. "So many individuals have disappeared here, some say it's an entrance to a parallel world." Marius is escorting a visitor on a nocturnal tour through what is often described as the world's most haunted forest: Hoia-Baciu, a square mile of old-growth native woodland on the fringes of the metropolis of Cluj-Napoca.

A Long History of the Unexplained

Reports of strange happenings here go back centuries – the forest is called after a regional herder who is said to have vanished in the long ago, accompanied by 200 of his sheep. But Hoia-Baciu came to worldwide fame in 1968, when a military technician named Emil Barnea captured on film what he claimed was a UFO hovering above a circular clearing in the heart of the forest.

Numerous entered this place and vanished without trace. But rest assured," he states, facing the visitor with a smirk. "Our guided walks have a perfect safety record."

In the decades since, Hoia-Baciu has brought in yoga practitioners, shamans, ufologists and supernatural researchers from across the world, eager to feel the unusual forces said to echo through the forest.

Modern Threats

It may be one of the world's premier hotspots for supernatural fans, the forest is at risk. The outlying areas of Cluj-Napoca – a modern tech hub of more than 400,000 people, described as the innovation center of eastern Europe – are advancing, and real estate firms are advocating for permission to cut down the woods to construct residential buildings.

Except for a small area home to area-specific Mediterranean oak trees, this woodland is not officially protected, but the guide believes that the initiative he was instrumental in creating – a dedicated preservation group – will contribute to improving the situation, persuading the government officials to appreciate the forest's significance as a travel hotspot.

Chilling Events

When small sticks and seasonal debris snap and crunch beneath their shoes, the guide describes numerous folk tales and alleged ghostly incidents here.

• One famous story tells of a five-year-old girl vanishing during a family picnic, only to return after five years with no recollection of what had happened, showing no signs of aging a single day, her clothes shy of the slightest speck of dust.
• Regular stories explain mobile phones and camera equipment unexpectedly failing on stepping into the forest.
• Emotional responses range from full-blown dread to feelings of joy.
• Certain individuals report seeing unusual marks on their bodies, hearing unseen murmurs through the trees, or sense fingers clutching them, even when certain nobody is nearby.

Scientific Investigations

Despite several of the tales may be unverifiable, numerous elements before my eyes that is certainly unusual. All around are plants whose bases are warped and gnarled into fantastical shapes.

Multiple explanations have been suggested to clarify the abnormal growth: strong gales could have altered the growth, or inherently elevated radiation levels in the soil account for their strange formation.

But research studies have turned up insufficient proof.

The Notorious Meadow

The guide's tours allow visitors to participate in a modest investigation of their own. When nearing the opening in the forest where Barnea photographed his well-known UFO images, he hands the traveler an ghost-hunting device which registers electromagnetic fields.

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

The plants abruptly end as we emerge into a complete ring. The only greenery is the trimmed turf beneath the ground; it's obvious that it's not maintained, and appears that this bizarre meadow is natural, not the work of people.

Fact Versus Fiction

This part of Romania is a place which inspires creativity, where the border is blurred between reality and legend. In traditional settlements belief persists in strigoi ("screamers") – otherworldly, form-changing creatures, who return from burial sites to terrorise nearby villages.

Bram Stoker's well-known fictional vampire is forever associated with Transylvania, and the historic stronghold – a Saxon monolith located on a rocky outcrop in the Transylvanian Alps – is keenly marketed as "Dracula's Castle".

But including folklore-rich Transylvania – truly, "the place beyond the forest" – feels tangible and comprehensible compared to this spooky forest, which appear to be, for reasons related to radiation, environmental or entirely legendary, a hub for fantasy projection.

"Within this forest," the guide comments, "the boundary between fact and fiction is remarkably blurred."