Delving into the World's Most Haunted Forest: Twisted Trees, Flying Saucers and Eerie Tales in Transylvania.

"Locals dub this spot an enigmatic zone of Transylvania," remarks a local guide, his breath forming clouds of condensation in the cold evening air. "So many people have vanished here, it's thought it's an entrance to another dimension." Marius is guiding a visitor on a night walk through what is often described as the globe's spookiest woodland: Hoia-Baciu, a square mile of primeval local woods on the outskirts of the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

Centuries of Mystery

Reports of unusual events here date back a long time – this woodland is titled for a area shepherd who is believed to have disappeared in the far-off times, accompanied by two hundred animals. But Hoia-Baciu came to worldwide fame in 1968, when a defense worker known as Emil Barnea captured on film what he claimed was a unidentified flying object floating above a oval meadow in the heart of the forest.

Countless ventured inside and vanished without trace. But no need to fear," he adds, addressing his guest with a smirk. "Our guided walks have a 100% return rate."

In the years that followed, Hoia-Baciu has brought in meditation experts, spiritual healers, ufologists and paranormal investigators from around the globe, curious to experience the unusual forces believed to resonate through the forest.

Current Risks

Although it is among the planet's leading destinations for paranormal enthusiasts, this woodland is at risk. The outlying areas of Cluj-Napoca – an innovative digital cluster of over 400,000 residents, known as the Silicon Valley of the region – are encroaching, and developers are advocating for authorization to cut down the woods to erect housing complexes.

Except for a limited section housing area-specific oak varieties, the grove is without conservation status, but Marius is confident that the organization he helped establish – a local conservation effort – will assist in altering this, persuading the government officials to appreciate the forest's importance as a tourist attraction.

Eerie Encounters

When small sticks and fall foliage break and crackle beneath their shoes, Marius tells numerous traditional stories and alleged supernatural events here.

• A well-known account tells of a little girl going missing during a family picnic, later to return half a decade later with no memory of what had happened, showing no signs of aging a day, her attire without the tiniest bit of dust.
• Regular stories describe mobile phones and imaging devices mysteriously turning off on entering the woods.
• Feelings include absolute fear to states of ecstasy.
• Various visitors claim seeing bizarre skin irritations on their arms, hearing ghostly voices through the forest, or experience fingers clutching them, although convinced they're by themselves.

Scientific Investigations

While many of the tales may be unverifiable, there is much before my eyes that is certainly unusual. Everywhere you look are trees whose stems are curved and contorted into unusual forms.

Different theories have been suggested to account for the abnormal growth: that hurricane winds could have shaped the young trees, or naturally high electromagnetic fields in the soil explain their unusual development.

But scientific investigations have discovered insufficient proof.

The Famous Clearing

Marius's excursions enable participants to take part in a modest investigation of their own. Upon reaching the clearing in the forest where Barnea captured his renowned UFO photographs, he gives the visitor an EMF meter which registers electromagnetic fields.

"We're venturing into the most energetic section of the forest," he says. "Discover what's here."

The plants immediately cease as we emerge into a flawless round. The only greenery is the low vegetation beneath our feet; it's clear that it's naturally occurring, and appears that this bizarre meadow is natural, not the work of landscaping.

The Blurred Line

Transylvania generally is a location which stirs the imagination, where the division is indistinct between reality and legend. In rural Romanian communities faith continues in strigoi ("screamers") – otherworldly, form-changing vampires, who return from burial sites to frighten local communities.

Bram Stoker's well-known vampire Count Dracula is always connected with Transylvania, and Bran Castle – an ancient structure situated on a cliff edge in the mountain range – is keenly marketed as "Dracula's Castle".

But despite myth-shrouded Transylvania – actually, "the place beyond the forest" – appears solid and predictable compared to this spooky forest, which appear to be, for causes related to radiation, climatic or entirely legendary, a hub for creative energy.

"Inside these woods," Marius states, "the division between fact and fiction is extremely fine."