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"They call this spot a mysterious vortex of Transylvania," states an experienced guide, the air from his lungs creating puffs of mist in the crisp night air. "Countless visitors have disappeared here, many believe it's a portal to another dimension." The guide is leading a traveler on a nocturnal tour through commonly known as the globe's spookiest woodland: Hoia-Baciu, a section spanning 640 acres of ancient indigenous forest on the fringes of the metropolis of Cluj-Napoca.

A Long History of the Unexplained

Stories of strange happenings here extend back hundreds of years – this woodland is named after a local shepherd who is believed to have disappeared in the long ago, accompanied by 200 of his sheep. But Hoia-Baciu gained global recognition in 1968, when a defense worker known as Emil Barnea took a picture of what he described as a UFO floating above a oval meadow in the heart of the forest.

Many came in here and never came out. But rest assured," he adds, addressing the traveler with a smirk. "Our excursions have a 100% return rate."

In the years that followed, Hoia-Baciu has drawn yogis, traditional medicine people, UFO researchers and supernatural researchers from around the globe, interested in encountering the unusual forces said to echo through the forest.

Current Risks

Although it is a top global pilgrimage sites for lovers of the paranormal, the forest is facing danger. The western suburbs of Cluj-Napoca – an innovative digital cluster of more than 400,000 people, called the innovation center of the region – are expanding, and construction companies are campaigning for approval to clear the trees to erect housing complexes.

Barring a limited section containing locally rare Mediterranean oak trees, the forest is lacking legal protection, but Marius believes that the company he was instrumental in creating – the Hoia-Baciu Project – will assist in altering this, motivating the local administrators to acknowledge the forest's value as a tourist attraction.

Eerie Encounters

While branches and autumn leaves break and crackle beneath their shoes, the guide tells some of the traditional stories and claimed supernatural events here.

• A well-known account describes a young child going missing during a family picnic, later to rematerialise half a decade later with no recollection of the events, showing no signs of aging a moment, her garments shy of the smallest trace of dust.
• Regular stories explain mobile phones and imaging devices unexpectedly failing on entering the woods.
• Reactions include complete terror to feelings of joy.
• Various visitors report seeing bizarre skin irritations on their bodies, perceiving ghostly voices through the woodland, or feel hands grabbing them, even when convinced they're by themselves.

Scientific Investigations

Despite several of the stories may be hard to prove, there is much clearly observable that is certainly unusual. All around are vegetation whose trunks are warped and gnarled into bizarre configurations.

Different theories have been given to account for the abnormal growth: powerful storms could have bent the saplings, or inherently elevated radioactivity in the soil explain their unusual development.

But research studies have turned up no satisfactory evidence.

The Famous Clearing

The expert's tours allow visitors to participate in a modest investigation of their own. When nearing the clearing in the forest where Barnea photographed his well-known UFO images, he gives the visitor an electromagnetic field detector which detects electromagnetic fields.

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

The vegetation abruptly end as we emerge into a perfect circle. The only greenery is the short grass beneath their shoes; it's clear that it hasn't been mown, and appears that this bizarre meadow is organic, not the creation of people.

The Blurred Line

Transylvania generally is a place which inspires creativity, where the border is indistinct between reality and legend. In countryside villages superstition remains in strigoi ("screamers") – supernatural, shapeshifting creatures, who return from burial sites to terrorise local communities.

The famous author's renowned vampire Count Dracula is always connected with Transylvania, and the historic stronghold – a medieval building situated on a cliff edge in the Carpathian Mountains – is actively advertised as "the vampire's home".

But including legend-filled Transylvania – actually, "the place beyond the forest" – feels real and understandable versus these eerie woods, which give the impression of being, for factors related to radiation, environmental or entirely legendary, a hub for human imaginative power.

"Inside these woods," Marius says, "the line between truth and fantasy is very thin."