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"People refer to this place an enigmatic zone of Transylvania," explains an experienced guide, the air from his lungs producing wisps of vapor in the cold night air. "So many people have gone missing here, it's thought it's an entrance to a parallel world." This expert is leading a visitor on a evening stroll through frequently labeled as the planet's most ghostly forest: Hoia-Baciu, a section spanning 640 acres of old-growth native woodland on the outskirts of the Transylvanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

Hundreds of Years of Enigma

Stories of bizarre occurrences here go back hundreds of years – this woodland is called after a local shepherd who is reportedly went missing in the far-off times, together with two hundred animals. But Hoia-Baciu came to worldwide fame in 1968, when an army specialist named Emil Barnea captured on film what he claimed was a UFO suspended above a round opening in the middle of the forest.

Countless ventured inside and never came out. But rest assured," he states, facing the visitor with a grin. "Our guided walks have a perfect safety record."

In the time after, Hoia-Baciu has attracted yogis, traditional medicine people, UFO researchers and ghost hunters from worldwide, curious to experience the unusual forces reported to reverberate through the forest.

Contemporary Dangers

It may be one of the world's premier pilgrimage sites for lovers of the paranormal, the forest is facing danger. The outlying areas of Cluj-Napoca – a contemporary technology center of over 400,000 residents, called the Silicon Valley of Eastern Europe – are advancing, and developers are campaigning for authorization to cut down the woods to construct residential buildings.

Aside from a limited section home to area-specific Mediterranean oak trees, the forest is without conservation status, but Marius hopes that the company he was instrumental in creating – a local conservation effort – will help to change that, motivating the authorities to appreciate the forest's importance as a tourist attraction.

Eerie Encounters

As twigs and seasonal debris snap and crunch beneath their boots, the guide recounts various traditional stories and claimed paranormal happenings here.

• A popular tale recounts a little girl vanishing during a family outing, later to reappear half a decade later with no memory of the events, showing no signs of aging a single day, her garments without the tiniest bit of dirt.
• Regular stories explain mobile phones and imaging devices unexpectedly failing on stepping into the forest.
• Feelings vary from complete terror to moments of euphoria.
• Various visitors state seeing unusual marks on their arms, hearing ghostly voices through the woodland, or feel hands grabbing them, although sure they are alone.

Study Attempts

Despite several of the tales may be impossible to confirm, numerous elements before my eyes that is definitely bizarre. Throughout the area are plants whose bases are curved and contorted into unusual forms.

Various suggestions have been suggested to clarify the abnormal growth: that hurricane winds could have bent the saplings, or naturally high radiation levels in the earth cause their unusual development.

But scientific investigations have found insufficient proof.

The Famous Clearing

Marius's excursions permit visitors to take part in a small-scale research of their own. When nearing the opening in the forest where Barnea took his well-known UFO photographs, he hands the visitor an EMF meter which registers EMF readings.

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

The plants immediately cease as the group enters into a complete ring. The only greenery is the trimmed turf beneath their shoes; it's apparent that it hasn't been mown, and looks that this unusual opening is wild, not the creation of landscaping.

Fact Versus Fiction

The broader region is a location which stirs the imagination, where the border is indistinct between truth and myth. In traditional settlements belief persists in strigoi ("screamers") – otherworldly, appearance-altering vampires, who rise from their graves to terrorise local communities.

Bram Stoker's famous fictional vampire is forever associated with Transylvania, and Bran Castle – a medieval building perched on a rocky outcrop in the mountain range – is actively advertised as "Dracula's Castle".

But including legend-filled Transylvania – literally, "the place beyond the forest" – seems solid and predictable in contrast to these eerie woods, which give the impression of being, for reasons related to radiation, environmental or simply folkloric, a hub for creative energy.

"Within this forest," Marius says, "the boundary between reality and imagination is remarkably blurred."