Exploring the Planet's Most Ghostly Forest: Twisted Trees, Unidentified Flying Objects and Eerie Tales in Romania's Legendary Region.

"Locals dub this place a mysterious vortex of Transylvania," explains an experienced guide, the air from his lungs producing wisps of condensation in the crisp night air. "Countless visitors have gone missing here, many believe it's an entrance to another dimension." This expert is leading a traveler on a evening stroll through what is often described as the globe's spookiest forest: Hoia-Baciu, a square mile of primeval local woods on the fringes of the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

Centuries of Mystery

Reports of bizarre occurrences here date back centuries – this woodland is titled for a local shepherd who is reportedly went missing in the far-off times, along with his entire flock. But Hoia-Baciu came to worldwide fame in 1968, when a defense worker called Emil Barnea captured on film what he described as a unidentified flying object floating above a round opening in the centre of the forest.

Numerous entered this place and never came out. But no need to fear," he continues, turning to his guest with a grin. "Our guided walks have a flawless completion rate."

In the years that followed, Hoia-Baciu has brought in yogis, shamans, extraterrestrial investigators and ghost hunters from across the world, interested in encountering the strange energies reported to reverberate through the forest.

Modern Threats

Despite being one of the world's premier hotspots for lovers of the paranormal, the grove is facing danger. The western suburbs of Cluj-Napoca – an innovative digital cluster of a population exceeding 400,000, described as the innovation center of the region – are encroaching, and construction companies are advocating for authorization to remove the forest to erect housing complexes.

Barring a limited section containing regionally uncommon specific tree species, the grove is without conservation status, but Marius is confident that the initiative he co-founded – a dedicated preservation group – will help to change that, persuading the authorities to appreciate the forest's importance as a visitor destination.

Eerie Encounters

While branches and autumn leaves split and rustle beneath their boots, Marius recounts numerous traditional stories and reported ghostly incidents here.

• A popular tale recounts a young child disappearing during a family outing, then to rematerialise five years later with no recollection of what had happened, having not aged a day, her clothes lacking the smallest trace of dust.
• More common reports explain cellphones and camera equipment inexplicably shutting down on stepping into the forest.
• Reactions vary from complete terror to states of ecstasy.
• Various visitors report observing strange rashes on their bodies, hearing disembodied whispers through the trees, or feel palms pushing them, although certain nobody is nearby.

Study Attempts

While many of the tales may be impossible to confirm, there are many things clearly observable that is definitely bizarre. Throughout the area are vegetation whose bases are bent and twisted into unusual forms.

Different theories have been suggested to clarify the deformed trees: powerful storms could have bent the saplings, or naturally high radioactivity in the ground account for their unusual development.

But formal examinations have discovered inconclusive results.

The Legendary Opening

The expert's tours allow visitors to engage in a small-scale research of their own. As we approach the opening in the woods where Barnea photographed his famous UFO pictures, he gives the visitor an electromagnetic field detector which registers EMF readings.

"We're entering the most energetic area of the forest," he says. "See what you can find."

The vegetation abruptly end as the group enters into a perfect circle. The single plant life is the low vegetation beneath the ground; it's apparent that it's not maintained, and seems that this strange clearing is wild, not the result of human hands.

Fact Versus Fiction

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

The famous author's famous fictional vampire is permanently linked with Transylvania, and the legendary fortress – a Saxon monolith located on a cliff edge in the mountain range – is keenly marketed as "the vampire's home".

But despite folklore-rich Transylvania – actually, "the place beyond the forest" – feels real and understandable compared to these eerie woods, which appear to be, for causes nuclear, atmospheric or purely mythical, a center for human imaginative power.

"Inside these woods," the guide says, "the division between reality and imagination is remarkably blurred."