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"Locals dub this location an enigmatic zone of Transylvania," explains a local guide, the air from his lungs creating wisps of mist in the crisp evening air. "Countless visitors have disappeared here, some say it's a portal to a different realm." The guide is escorting a traveler on a night walk through what is often described as the world's most haunted grove: Hoia-Baciu, a square mile of ancient local woods on the fringes of the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

A Long History of the Unexplained

Accounts of strange happenings here extend back hundreds of years – the grove is called after a local shepherd who is reportedly went missing in the distant past, along with two hundred animals. But Hoia-Baciu gained global recognition in 1968, when a defense worker known as Emil Barnea captured on film what he described as a flying saucer suspended above a circular clearing in the middle of the forest.

Many came in here and failed to return. But don't worry," he adds, facing the visitor with a smile. "Our excursions have a perfect safety record."

In the decades since, Hoia-Baciu has brought in yoga practitioners, shamans, extraterrestrial investigators and ghost hunters from across the world, interested in encountering the strange energies believed to resonate through the forest.

Modern Threats

Although it is one of the world's premier pilgrimage sites for lovers of the paranormal, the grove is under threat. The outlying areas of Cluj-Napoca – an innovative digital cluster of more than 400,000 people, described as the Silicon Valley of eastern Europe – are advancing, and developers are advocating for approval to cut down the woods to construct residential buildings.

Barring a small area housing area-specific oak varieties, the grove is not officially protected, but the guide believes that the initiative he co-founded – a dedicated preservation group – will contribute to improving the situation, persuading the authorities to appreciate the forest's importance as a visitor destination.

Chilling Events

While branches and autumn leaves split and rustle beneath their boots, Marius tells some of the folk tales and alleged ghostly incidents here.

• A popular tale recounts a five-year-old girl vanishing during a group gathering, only to reappear half a decade later with no recollection of what had happened, having not aged a day, her clothes shy of the smallest trace of dirt.
• More common reports describe mobile phones and photography gear inexplicably shutting down on venturing inside.
• Reactions range from absolute fear to states of ecstasy.
• Some people claim noticing unusual marks on their arms, perceiving ghostly voices through the trees, or experience palms pushing them, despite being convinced they're by themselves.

Study Attempts

Although numerous of the tales may be hard to prove, there is much clearly observable that is certainly unusual. All around are trees whose bases are bent and twisted into fantastical shapes.

Different theories have been proposed to account for the deformed trees: powerful storms could have bent the saplings, or inherently elevated radiation levels in the ground explain their unusual development.

But formal examinations have found insufficient proof.

The Notorious Meadow

The guide's excursions allow participants to participate in a modest investigation of their own. As we approach the meadow in the trees where Barnea captured his well-known UFO images, he hands the visitor an ghost-hunting device which measures electromagnetic fields.

"We're stepping into the most active area of the forest," he says. "Discover what's here."

The vegetation suddenly stop dead as we emerge into a complete ring. The only greenery is the low vegetation beneath their shoes; it's clear that it's naturally occurring, and looks that this strange clearing is natural, not the result of human hands.

The Blurred Line

This part of Romania is a location which fuels fantasy, where the division is blurred between fact and folklore. In traditional settlements belief persists in strigoi ("screamers") – otherworldly, shapeshifting vampires, who rise from their graves to terrorise nearby villages.

Bram Stoker's well-known fictional vampire is always connected with Transylvania, and Bran Castle – a Saxon monolith perched on a rocky outcrop in the Carpathian Mountains – is heavily promoted as "Dracula's Castle".

But despite myth-shrouded Transylvania – literally, "the territory after the grove" – appears real and understandable versus the haunted grove, which give the impression of being, for causes radioactive, atmospheric or simply folkloric, a nexus for human imaginative power.

"In Hoia-Baciu," Marius comments, "the division between reality and imagination is very thin."