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"People refer to this location an enigmatic zone of Transylvania," states an experienced guide, his breath creating wisps of condensation in the cold night air. "Numerous individuals have gone missing here, some say there's a gateway to a parallel world." This expert is guiding a traveler on a night walk through frequently labeled as the globe's spookiest woodland: Hoia-Baciu, a section spanning 640 acres of ancient indigenous forest on the edges of the Transylvanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

Centuries of Mystery

Reports of unusual events here extend back centuries – the grove is called after a regional herder who is reportedly went missing in the long ago, accompanied by his entire flock. But Hoia-Baciu came to global recognition in 1968, when a military technician known as Emil Barnea captured on film what he reported as a flying saucer suspended above a circular clearing in the middle of the forest.

Many came in here and vanished without trace. But don't worry," he states, facing the traveler with a grin. "Our guided walks have a perfect safety record."

In the years that followed, Hoia-Baciu has drawn yoga practitioners, shamans, UFO researchers and paranormal investigators from worldwide, interested in encountering the mysterious powers believed to resonate through the forest.

Modern Threats

It may be a top global destinations for supernatural fans, this woodland is at risk. The western districts of Cluj-Napoca – a modern tech hub of a population exceeding 400,000, called the innovation center of the region – are advancing, and developers are pushing for approval to clear the trees to erect housing complexes.

Aside from a limited section containing locally rare specific tree species, this woodland is not officially protected, but the guide is confident that the organization he co-founded – the Hoia-Baciu Project – will contribute to improving the situation, motivating the local administrators to acknowledge the forest's importance as a tourist attraction.

Eerie Encounters

As twigs and seasonal debris split and rustle beneath their boots, the guide recounts various folk tales and alleged supernatural events here.

• A well-known account describes a five-year-old girl going missing during a family outing, only to return after five years with no recollection of her experience, without aging a single day, her attire shy of the slightest speck of dust.
• Regular stories explain smartphones and imaging devices mysteriously turning off on stepping into the forest.
• Feelings include complete terror to states of ecstasy.
• Various visitors report observing strange rashes on their arms, perceiving disembodied whispers through the woodland, or sense hands grabbing them, despite being sure they are alone.

Research Efforts

Despite several of the accounts may be hard to prove, numerous elements before my eyes that is definitely bizarre. All around are vegetation whose bases are warped and gnarled into fantastical shapes.

Different theories have been suggested to explain the deformed trees: powerful storms could have altered the growth, or typically increased electromagnetic fields in the earth cause their crooked growth.

But scientific investigations have found inconclusive results.

The Legendary Opening

Marius's walks enable visitors to engage in a modest investigation of their own. When nearing the opening in the trees where Barnea took his renowned UFO photographs, he passes the visitor an ghost-hunting device which registers energy patterns.

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

The trees immediately cease as the group enters into a perfect circle. The single plant life is the short grass beneath the ground; it's obvious that it hasn't been mown, and appears that this bizarre meadow is natural, not the creation of people.

The Blurred Line

Transylvania generally is a place which fuels fantasy, where the line is indistinct between reality and legend. In rural Romanian communities superstition remains in strigoi ("screamers") – otherworldly, appearance-altering creatures, who return from burial sites to haunt nearby villages.

The novelist's famous vampire Count Dracula is permanently linked with Transylvania, and the legendary fortress – an ancient structure situated on a stone formation in the Transylvanian Alps – is heavily promoted as "Dracula's Castle".

But including myth-shrouded Transylvania – truly, "the land past the woods" – appears real and understandable in contrast to these eerie woods, which give the impression of being, for reasons radioactive, environmental or simply folkloric, a nexus for fantasy projection.

"Within this forest," the guide comments, "the boundary between reality and imagination is extremely fine."