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"People refer to this location a mysterious vortex of Transylvania," remarks a tour guide, the air from his lungs forming clouds of condensation in the cold dusk atmosphere. "Numerous people have gone missing here, it's thought it's a portal to a different realm." The guide is guiding a visitor 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 outskirts of the metropolis of Cluj-Napoca.

A Long History of the Unexplained

Stories of unusual events here go back hundreds of years – the grove is titled for a regional herder who is said to have vanished in the long ago, together with two hundred animals. But Hoia-Baciu achieved international attention in 1968, when a defense worker known as Emil Barnea photographed what he reported as a UFO hovering above a round opening in the heart of the forest.

Numerous entered this place and vanished without trace. But rest assured," he states, addressing the traveler with a smirk. "Our tours have a perfect safety record."

In the years that followed, Hoia-Baciu has attracted yoga practitioners, spiritual healers, extraterrestrial investigators and ghost hunters from worldwide, curious to experience the strange energies said to echo through the forest.

Modern Threats

Despite being a top global destinations for supernatural fans, the forest is under threat. The western districts of Cluj-Napoca – an innovative digital cluster of a population exceeding 400,000, called the tech capital of the region – are advancing, and developers are campaigning for approval to remove the forest to build apartment blocks.

Barring a few hectares home to regionally uncommon specific tree species, this woodland is not officially protected, but the guide believes that the initiative he helped establish – a dedicated preservation group – will contribute to improving the situation, motivating the local administrators to recognise the forest's importance as a visitor destination.

Spooky Experiences

When small sticks and seasonal debris break and crackle beneath their boots, the guide tells numerous local legends and alleged ghostly incidents here.

• One famous story recounts a young child vanishing during a family picnic, later to return half a decade later with no memory of the events, showing no signs of aging a single day, her garments without the smallest trace of dust.
• Frequent accounts explain smartphones and camera equipment mysteriously turning off on stepping into the forest.
• Reactions vary from complete terror to moments of euphoria.
• Various visitors state seeing bizarre skin irritations on their bodies, detecting disembodied whispers through the forest, or feel fingers clutching them, although sure they are alone.

Scientific Investigations

While many of the stories may be hard to prove, numerous elements clearly observable that is definitely bizarre. Everywhere you look are plants whose stems are warped and gnarled into bizarre configurations.

Different theories have been given to explain the deformed trees: powerful storms could have altered the growth, or inherently elevated electromagnetic fields in the earth explain their unusual development.

But research studies have discovered insufficient proof.

The Legendary Opening

The expert's excursions allow participants to take part in a little scientific inquiry of their own. Upon reaching the meadow in the woods where Barnea captured his renowned UFO photographs, he gives the visitor an ghost-hunting device which measures EMF readings.

"We're stepping into the most powerful part of the forest," he states. "See what you can find."

The trees suddenly stop dead as we emerge into a flawless round. The single plant life is the trimmed turf beneath the ground; it's clear that it hasn't been mown, and appears that this strange clearing is wild, not the result of landscaping.

Between Reality and Imagination

The broader region is a location which inspires creativity, where the border is blurred between truth and myth. In traditional settlements faith continues in strigoi ("screamers") – undead, appearance-altering creatures, who emerge from tombs to frighten nearby villages.

Bram Stoker's famous character Dracula is forever associated with Transylvania, and the legendary fortress – a medieval building perched on a cliff edge in the mountain range – is heavily promoted as "the count's residence".

But even folklore-rich Transylvania – actually, "the land past the woods" – appears solid and predictable versus this spooky forest, which seem to be, for causes radioactive, climatic or entirely legendary, a nexus for human imaginative power.

"Within this forest," the guide says, "the line between fact and fiction is remarkably blurred."