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"People refer to this spot an enigmatic zone of Transylvania," explains an experienced guide, the air from his lungs producing puffs of vapor in the chilly dusk atmosphere. "So many people have gone missing here, some say it's a portal to a different realm." Marius is escorting a guest on a nocturnal tour through frequently labeled 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.

Hundreds of Years of Enigma

Reports of bizarre occurrences here date back centuries – the forest is called after a local shepherd who is believed to have disappeared in the distant past, along with 200 of his sheep. But Hoia-Baciu achieved global recognition in 1968, when a military technician called Emil Barnea photographed what he reported as a flying saucer hovering above a circular clearing in the centre of the forest.

Many came in here and failed to return. But no need to fear," he states, turning to the visitor with a smile. "Our excursions have a 100% return rate."

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

Contemporary Dangers

Although it is among the planet's leading pilgrimage sites for lovers of the paranormal, the forest is facing danger. The western suburbs of Cluj-Napoca – a contemporary technology center of a population exceeding 400,000, known as the tech capital of eastern Europe – are expanding, and real estate firms are campaigning for permission to remove the forest to construct residential buildings.

Barring a limited section housing area-specific Mediterranean oak trees, the grove is lacking legal protection, but Marius hopes that the initiative he was instrumental in creating – the Hoia-Baciu Project – will assist in altering this, encouraging the authorities to acknowledge the forest's importance as a visitor destination.

Spooky Experiences

As twigs and seasonal debris break and crackle beneath their footwear, Marius describes some of the traditional stories and reported supernatural events here.

• A popular tale tells of a little girl going missing during a family outing, only to reappear after five years with no recollection of her experience, having not aged a single day, her clothes without the tiniest bit of dust.
• Regular stories detail cellphones and imaging devices mysteriously turning off on venturing inside.
• Feelings range from absolute fear to feelings of joy.
• Various visitors report noticing strange rashes on their arms, perceiving disembodied whispers through the woodland, or sense fingers clutching them, although convinced they're by themselves.

Study Attempts

While many of the tales may be impossible to confirm, there is much before my eyes that is undeniably strange. Everywhere you look are vegetation whose bases are curved and contorted into fantastical shapes.

Different theories have been suggested to account for the abnormal growth: that hurricane winds could have altered the growth, or inherently elevated radioactivity in the ground account for their unusual development.

But scientific investigations have turned up inconclusive results.

The Notorious Meadow

The guide's tours enable participants to participate in a small-scale research of their own. As we approach the opening in the trees where Barnea took his renowned UFO pictures, he hands his guest an ghost-hunting device which measures energy patterns.

"We're entering the most energetic part of the forest," he states. "Try to detect something."

The vegetation suddenly stop dead as they step into a complete ring. The single plant life is the low vegetation beneath our feet; it's clear that it's not maintained, and appears that this bizarre meadow is organic, not the creation of human hands.

Fact Versus Fiction

This part of Romania is a area which stirs the imagination, where the line is indistinct between fact and folklore. In rural Romanian communities faith continues in strigoi ("screamers") – supernatural, appearance-altering bloodsuckers, who emerge from tombs to frighten regional populations.

Bram Stoker's famous vampire Count Dracula is always connected with Transylvania, and the historic stronghold – a Saxon monolith situated on a rocky outcrop in the Transylvanian Alps – is actively advertised as "the vampire's home".

But even folklore-rich Transylvania – actually, "the place beyond the forest" – feels solid and predictable versus the haunted grove, which give the impression of being, for reasons radioactive, environmental or entirely legendary, a hub for creative energy.

"Within this forest," the guide says, "the division between fact and fiction is remarkably blurred."