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"Locals dub this location an enigmatic zone of Transylvania," explains an experienced guide, his breath forming puffs of condensation in the chilly dusk atmosphere. "So many people have gone missing here, it's thought it's a portal to a different realm." The guide is escorting a traveler on a nocturnal tour through what is often described as the globe's spookiest forest: Hoia-Baciu, a square mile of primeval native woodland on the fringes of the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

Hundreds of Years of Enigma

Reports of bizarre occurrences here extend back hundreds of years – this woodland is titled for a regional herder who is reportedly went missing in the far-off times, together with two hundred animals. But Hoia-Baciu came to international attention in 1968, when a military technician named Emil Barnea captured on film what he described as a UFO hovering above a round opening in the centre of the forest.

Numerous entered this place and never came out. But don't worry," he states, turning to the traveler with a smile. "Our excursions have a perfect safety record."

In the time after, Hoia-Baciu has brought in yoga practitioners, traditional medicine people, UFO researchers and paranormal investigators from worldwide, eager to feel the unusual forces said to echo through the forest.

Modern Threats

Although it is one of the world's premier hotspots for supernatural fans, this woodland is facing danger. The western districts of Cluj-Napoca – a modern tech hub of a population exceeding 400,000, known as the innovation center of Eastern Europe – are advancing, and developers are advocating for approval to remove the forest to construct residential buildings.

Except for a few hectares home to regionally uncommon specific tree species, this woodland is not officially protected, but the guide hopes that the organization he helped establish – a dedicated preservation group – will contribute to improving the situation, motivating the local administrators to acknowledge the forest's value as a tourist attraction.

Eerie Encounters

As twigs and seasonal debris break and crackle beneath their boots, the guide tells various traditional stories and alleged paranormal happenings here.

• A well-known account describes a little girl vanishing during a family outing, then to reappear half a decade later with no memory of her experience, showing no signs of aging a moment, her garments shy of the tiniest bit of dirt.
• Regular stories explain smartphones and imaging devices inexplicably shutting down on stepping into the forest.
• Reactions range from absolute fear to feelings of joy.
• Various visitors claim noticing bizarre skin irritations on their bodies, perceiving unseen murmurs through the forest, or feel hands grabbing them, despite being certain nobody is nearby.

Research Efforts

Although numerous of the tales may be hard to prove, there are many things before my eyes that is undeniably strange. Everywhere you look are vegetation whose bases are bent and twisted into bizarre configurations.

Various suggestions have been given to explain the deformed trees: that hurricane winds could have shaped the young trees, or inherently elevated radiation levels in the soil explain their crooked growth.

But research studies have turned up inconclusive results.

The Notorious Meadow

Marius's tours permit participants to engage in a little scientific inquiry of their own. Upon reaching the clearing in the woods where Barnea photographed his well-known UFO pictures, he passes the visitor an ghost-hunting device which measures electromagnetic fields.

"We're entering the most energetic area of the forest," he says. "See what you can find."

The plants suddenly stop dead as we emerge into a flawless round. The sole vegetation is the low vegetation beneath the ground; it's apparent that it's naturally occurring, and appears that this strange clearing is organic, not the result of human hands.

The Blurred Line

This part of Romania is a area which fuels fantasy, where the division is blurred between reality and legend. In countryside villages superstition remains in strigoi ("screamers") – otherworldly, shapeshifting creatures, who emerge from tombs to frighten local communities.

Bram Stoker's well-known fictional vampire is always connected with Transylvania, and the legendary fortress – a medieval building perched on a cliff edge in the Carpathian Mountains – is heavily promoted as "the vampire's home".

But including myth-shrouded Transylvania – literally, "the territory after the grove" – seems solid and predictable compared to these eerie woods, which give the impression of being, for factors radioactive, atmospheric or simply folkloric, a center for human imaginative power.

"In Hoia-Baciu," Marius states, "the line between truth and fantasy is very thin."