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"People refer to this spot a mysterious vortex of Transylvania," states a tour guide, his breath producing clouds of mist in the cold evening air. "Countless individuals have vanished here, some say there's a gateway to another dimension." Marius is escorting a visitor on a nocturnal tour through what is often described as the globe's spookiest forest: Hoia-Baciu, a section spanning 640 acres of old-growth local woods on the outskirts of the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

Centuries of Mystery

Accounts of strange happenings here go back centuries – the grove is called after a local shepherd who is believed to have disappeared in the distant past, along with his entire flock. But Hoia-Baciu gained international attention in 1968, when an army specialist named Emil Barnea captured on film what he claimed was a UFO hovering above a circular clearing in the middle of the forest.

Countless ventured inside and never came out. But no need to fear," he continues, facing the traveler with a grin. "Our tours have a 100% return rate."

In the time after, Hoia-Baciu has drawn yoga practitioners, traditional medicine people, extraterrestrial investigators and paranormal investigators from worldwide, curious to experience the mysterious powers believed to resonate through the forest.

Modern Threats

Although it is among the planet's leading pilgrimage sites for paranormal enthusiasts, the forest is at risk. The outlying areas of Cluj-Napoca – an innovative digital cluster of over 400,000 residents, known as the tech capital of the region – are advancing, and construction companies are advocating for permission to clear the trees to erect housing complexes.

Aside from a few hectares housing area-specific Mediterranean oak trees, this woodland is lacking legal protection, but the guide hopes that the organization he helped establish – a dedicated preservation group – will contribute to improving the situation, persuading the government officials to recognise the forest's value as a tourist attraction.

Eerie Encounters

While branches and seasonal debris split and rustle beneath their footwear, Marius recounts numerous traditional stories and reported paranormal happenings here.

• A well-known account tells of a young child going missing during a group gathering, only to rematerialise half a decade later with no memory of what had happened, without aging a day, her clothes without the smallest trace of soil.
• More common reports detail mobile phones and photography gear inexplicably shutting down on venturing inside.
• Emotional responses include full-blown dread to feelings of joy.
• Various visitors claim observing strange rashes on their bodies, hearing ghostly voices through the trees, or sense palms pushing them, even when certain nobody is nearby.

Research Efforts

While many of the stories may be impossible to confirm, numerous elements clearly observable that is undeniably strange. Everywhere you look are trees whose trunks are curved and contorted into bizarre configurations.

Different theories have been suggested to clarify the deformed trees: strong gales could have bent the saplings, or inherently elevated radiation levels in the earth cause their strange formation.

But formal examinations have turned up no satisfactory evidence.

The Legendary Opening

The expert's excursions permit participants to take part in a small-scale research of their own. As we approach the clearing in the trees where Barnea photographed his renowned UFO pictures, he passes the visitor an EMF meter which registers energy patterns.

"We're entering the most active area of the forest," he comments. "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 clear that it's not maintained, and looks that this unusual opening is organic, not the result of human hands.

Fact Versus Fiction

Transylvania generally is a place which stirs the imagination, where the line is indistinct between truth and myth. In traditional settlements faith continues in strigoi ("screamers") – supernatural, form-changing bloodsuckers, who emerge from tombs to terrorise local communities.

The novelist's renowned vampire Count Dracula is forever associated with Transylvania, and the historic stronghold – a Saxon monolith situated on a cliff edge in the Carpathian Mountains – is keenly marketed as "the vampire's home".

But despite legend-filled Transylvania – actually, "the place beyond the forest" – seems real and understandable versus this spooky forest, which give the impression of being, for reasons radioactive, climatic or purely mythical, a center for creative energy.

"In Hoia-Baciu," the guide states, "the boundary between fact and fiction is remarkably blurred."