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"People refer to this spot a mysterious vortex of Transylvania," explains a local guide, his breath producing puffs of condensation in the crisp night air. "Numerous people have gone missing here, it's thought it's a portal to a different realm." Marius is guiding a visitor on a night walk through frequently labeled as the globe's spookiest forest: Hoia-Baciu, a square mile of primeval local woods on the outskirts of the Transylvanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

Centuries of Mystery

Reports of bizarre occurrences here extend back hundreds of years – this woodland is titled for a local shepherd who is said to have vanished in the far-off times, along with 200 of his sheep. But Hoia-Baciu came to worldwide fame in 1968, when a defense worker known as Emil Barnea photographed what he claimed was a flying saucer hovering above a oval meadow in the heart of the forest.

Countless ventured inside and vanished without trace. But no need to fear," he states, addressing the visitor with a grin. "Our guided walks have a 100% return rate."

In the decades since, Hoia-Baciu has attracted yoga practitioners, traditional medicine people, ufologists and supernatural researchers from across the world, curious to experience the mysterious powers reported to reverberate through the forest.

Current Risks

Despite being one of the world's premier hotspots for supernatural fans, this woodland is at risk. The western districts of Cluj-Napoca – a contemporary technology center of a population exceeding 400,000, described as the Silicon Valley of Eastern Europe – are expanding, and construction companies are campaigning for permission to clear the trees to construct residential buildings.

Except for a few hectares home to regionally uncommon oak varieties, the forest is without conservation status, but Marius believes that the company he co-founded – a dedicated preservation group – will assist in altering this, persuading the government officials to acknowledge the forest's significance as a travel hotspot.

Spooky Experiences

When small sticks and fall foliage snap and crunch beneath their shoes, the guide recounts various traditional stories and reported ghostly incidents here.

• A popular tale recounts a five-year-old girl going missing during a group gathering, then to rematerialise half a decade later with no memory of her experience, without aging a day, her attire shy of the tiniest bit of dirt.
• Frequent accounts detail mobile phones and camera equipment unexpectedly failing on venturing inside.
• Feelings range from full-blown dread to moments of euphoria.
• Some people report observing strange rashes on their bodies, hearing ghostly voices through the woodland, or feel fingers clutching them, although sure they are alone.

Study Attempts

While many of the stories may be hard to prove, there is much before my eyes that is definitely bizarre. All around are vegetation whose bases are warped and gnarled into fantastical shapes.

Different theories have been suggested to account for the deformed trees: powerful storms could have shaped the young trees, or naturally high electromagnetic fields in the earth account for their strange formation.

But scientific investigations have found no satisfactory evidence.

The Legendary Opening

The guide's excursions allow guests to participate in a modest investigation of their own. When nearing the meadow in the trees where Barnea captured his well-known UFO pictures, he gives his guest an electromagnetic field detector which registers EMF readings.

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

The plants abruptly end as they step into a perfect circle. The only greenery is the short grass beneath the ground; it's obvious that it's naturally occurring, and looks that this bizarre meadow is organic, not the work of human hands.

The Blurred Line

Transylvania generally is a location which stirs the imagination, where the border is indistinct between truth and myth. In rural Romanian communities faith continues in strigoi ("screamers") – undead, shapeshifting vampires, who return from burial sites to frighten regional populations.

The famous author's famous character Dracula is always connected with Transylvania, and the historic stronghold – a Saxon monolith situated on a rocky outcrop in the Carpathian Mountains – is keenly marketed as "the count's residence".

But even myth-shrouded Transylvania – truly, "the territory after the grove" – feels solid and predictable versus the haunted grove, which give the impression of being, for reasons nuclear, climatic or purely mythical, a hub for creative energy.

"Inside these woods," the guide states, "the division between truth and fantasy is very thin."