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"People refer to this spot an enigmatic zone of Transylvania," explains an experienced guide, the air from his lungs creating wisps of condensation in the chilly evening air. "So many visitors have vanished here, many believe it's a portal to another dimension." The guide is escorting a visitor on a night walk through what is often described as the planet's most ghostly forest: Hoia-Baciu, a section spanning 640 acres of old-growth local woods on the outskirts of the metropolis of Cluj-Napoca.

A Long History of the Unexplained

Reports of bizarre occurrences here date back hundreds of years – the grove is titled for a regional herder who is said to have vanished in the far-off times, together with two hundred animals. But Hoia-Baciu achieved international attention in 1968, when a military technician named Emil Barnea took a picture of what he claimed was a flying saucer floating above a round opening in the heart of the forest.

Countless ventured inside and vanished without trace. But no need to fear," he adds, facing the visitor with a smirk. "Our excursions have a 100% return rate."

In the years that followed, Hoia-Baciu has drawn meditation experts, spiritual healers, UFO researchers and paranormal investigators from around the globe, interested in encountering the unusual forces reported to reverberate through the forest.

Current Risks

It may be one of the world's premier hotspots for lovers of the paranormal, the forest is facing danger. The outlying areas of Cluj-Napoca – a contemporary technology center of a population exceeding 400,000, known as the tech capital of the region – are advancing, and real estate firms are pushing for permission to cut down the woods to build apartment blocks.

Barring a limited section containing regionally uncommon specific tree species, the grove is not officially protected, but Marius is confident that the company he co-founded – the Hoia-Baciu Project – will help to change that, persuading the local administrators to recognise the forest's significance as a tourist attraction.

Eerie Encounters

As twigs and seasonal debris snap and crunch beneath their boots, Marius tells some of the traditional stories and claimed supernatural events here.

• A popular tale describes a little girl disappearing during a family picnic, only to reappear five years later with no recollection of the events, having not aged a single day, her clothes shy of the tiniest bit of soil.
• More common reports describe smartphones and photography gear mysteriously turning off on venturing inside.
• Emotional responses include full-blown dread to feelings of joy.
• Some people state observing strange rashes on their arms, detecting unseen murmurs through the woodland, or experience fingers clutching them, even when convinced they're by themselves.

Scientific Investigations

Despite several of the accounts may be hard to prove, there is much clearly observable that is undeniably strange. Everywhere you look are vegetation whose bases are curved and contorted into fantastical shapes.

Multiple explanations have been suggested to explain the abnormal growth: strong gales could have altered the growth, or naturally high radiation levels in the earth cause their unusual development.

But formal examinations have turned up inconclusive results.

The Legendary Opening

The guide's tours permit visitors to take part in a modest investigation of their own. As we approach the opening in the woods where Barnea captured his well-known UFO images, he hands the visitor an ghost-hunting device which detects energy patterns.

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

The trees immediately cease as they step into a flawless round. The single plant life is the trimmed turf beneath their shoes; it's clear that it's not maintained, and seems that this strange clearing is organic, not the creation of human hands.

Fact Versus Fiction

This part of Romania is a place which inspires creativity, where the border is unclear between reality and legend. In countryside villages belief persists in strigoi ("screamers") – otherworldly, appearance-altering bloodsuckers, who emerge from tombs to frighten local communities.

The famous author's well-known vampire Count Dracula is always connected with Transylvania, and Bran Castle – a Saxon monolith located on a cliff edge in the mountain range – is keenly marketed as "the count's residence".

But including legend-filled Transylvania – actually, "the place beyond the forest" – feels real and understandable versus this spooky forest, which appear to be, for reasons related to radiation, environmental or purely mythical, a hub for creative energy.

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