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"Locals dub this place a mysterious vortex of Transylvania," states an experienced guide, his exhalation creating wisps of condensation in the crisp night air. "Countless visitors have gone missing here, some say there's a gateway to a parallel world." The guide is escorting a guest 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 outskirts of the Transylvanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

Hundreds of Years of Enigma

Accounts of unusual events here date back centuries – the forest is called after a local shepherd who is said to have vanished in the far-off times, along with his entire flock. But Hoia-Baciu achieved international attention in 1968, when an army specialist known as Emil Barnea photographed what he reported as a unidentified flying object hovering above a oval meadow in the middle of the forest.

Countless ventured inside and vanished without trace. But no need to fear," he states, facing the visitor with a grin. "Our excursions have a flawless completion rate."

In the years that followed, Hoia-Baciu has drawn yogis, traditional medicine people, UFO researchers and supernatural researchers from worldwide, curious to experience the strange energies said to echo through the forest.

Current Risks

It may be one of the world's premier pilgrimage sites for supernatural fans, this woodland is at risk. The outlying areas of Cluj-Napoca – a modern tech hub of over 400,000 residents, described as the Silicon Valley of the region – are encroaching, and real estate firms are advocating for permission to clear the trees to erect housing complexes.

Aside from a limited section housing area-specific Mediterranean oak trees, this woodland is not officially protected, but the guide is confident that the organization he helped establish – a local conservation effort – will assist in altering this, encouraging the authorities to appreciate the forest's value as a tourist attraction.

Spooky Experiences

While branches and autumn leaves break and crackle beneath their boots, Marius describes some of the folk tales and reported supernatural events here.

• One famous story tells of a young child going missing during a group gathering, only to reappear half a decade later with no memory of the events, having not aged a day, her attire lacking the smallest trace of dust.
• More common reports describe cellphones and camera equipment unexpectedly failing on entering the woods.
• Reactions range from full-blown dread to moments of euphoria.
• Some people report noticing unusual marks on their bodies, perceiving unseen murmurs through the forest, or experience palms pushing them, even when certain nobody is nearby.

Scientific Investigations

Despite several of the accounts may be unverifiable, there are many things clearly observable that is undeniably strange. Everywhere you look are plants whose bases are curved and contorted into bizarre configurations.

Multiple explanations have been suggested to explain the misshapen plants: powerful storms could have shaped the young trees, or naturally high electromagnetic fields in the earth explain their crooked growth.

But scientific investigations have turned up insufficient proof.

The Notorious Meadow

The guide's tours allow visitors to engage in a little scientific inquiry of their own. Upon reaching the meadow in the trees where Barnea photographed his renowned UFO pictures, he passes his guest an EMF meter which registers electromagnetic fields.

"We're venturing into the most active area of the forest," he says. "Try to detect something."

The trees immediately cease as we emerge into a perfect circle. The single plant life is the trimmed turf beneath the ground; it's apparent that it hasn't been mown, and seems that this unusual opening is wild, not the result of people.

Fact Versus Fiction

The broader region is a location which stirs the imagination, where the division is indistinct between fact and folklore. In countryside villages faith continues in strigoi ("screamers") – otherworldly, form-changing creatures, who emerge from tombs to frighten local communities.

Bram Stoker's well-known vampire Count Dracula is forever associated with Transylvania, and Bran Castle – a medieval building perched on a cliff edge in the Transylvanian Alps – is actively advertised as "Dracula's Castle".

But despite legend-filled Transylvania – truly, "the land past the woods" – appears real and understandable versus this spooky forest, which appear to be, for factors nuclear, environmental or simply folkloric, a center for creative energy.

"Within this forest," the guide comments, "the boundary between reality and imagination is very thin."