EST Press & Media
Everything you need to report on the Epic Sahyadri Trail (EST) — the story, the numbers, official quotes, images and contacts.
Please note the two distances: the final EST is 1,724 km (40 stages), but the mapping expedition covered 2,033 km over 70 days. The extra distance reflects the work of designing the trail: exploring alternate routes, removing sections that were unsafe or in poor condition, and refining the alignment to keep road walking as close as possible to the 10% target.
Official announcements
Sponsors back the EST mapping expedition
GreenmorMail, Reccy, Sensibiotics and The Stack come on board to support the 70-day expedition to walk and document the Epic Sahyadri Trail.
EST expedition flagged off from Gadgad Sanghvi
HikeX co-founder Manav sets out from near Nashik to hike the full length of the Epic Sahyadri Trail on foot — a 70-day push to verify and document India's first long-distance route.
70-day EST mapping expedition completed
Manav completes the expedition at Bombay Point — 2,033 km walked and 93,288 m climbed over 70 days, verifying and documenting the route end to end.
Final EST route finalised; digital mapping completed
The Epic Sahyadri Trail's final route is confirmed — 11 sections, 40 stages, 1,724 km — now digitally mapped to OpenStreetMap.
EST documentation rollout begins
HikeX begins publishing the EST documentation and trail resources, with one stage released every week until all 40 stages are completed.
Coverage
Attributable to Manav
“India has more walking trails than roads — but not one you could confidently set out and walk from end to end. EST is our attempt to change that, and to put these trails on the map before they disappear.”
“A GPS track doesn’t make a trail. Someone has to walk it, verify it, and document it — the water, the hazards, the exits, the people. That work can only be done on the ground.”
“Hiking and mapping are two different skillsets. You can’t map a wilderness trail from a desk — someone has to walk it. Mapping makes hiking safe.”
“It was never an endurance challenge disguised as a mapping project. It was a mapping project that happened to demand endurance.”
The team
Manav (Manvendr Singh Shekawat)
Co-founder, HikeX · Mapper & trail designer
Over 14,000 km hiked across the Himalaya, Sahyadri, Nepal and Indonesia, to a high point of 6,548 m (Mt Chalung, Ladakh). Pioneered large-scale, ground-based trail mapping for India’s independent hiking community.
Shubrank Mukhiya
Co-founder, HikeX
Leads product, systems and business — turning fieldwork and ground expertise into resources that reach the wider community. He and Manav have worked together since 2019 and formalised HikeX in 2023.
Download the media kit
Please attribute photos and video as “Courtesy: HikeX.”
Fact Sheet & Backgrounder
Every key number on the trail and the expedition, plus what EST is, its history, why it matters, methodology and vision.
Open the document →Media Assets
Photos, B-roll, maps, illustrations, and HikeX + EST logos (PNG/SVG).
Open the asset folder →Important media guidelines
- •Always write Epic Sahyadri Trail (EST) on first mention; EST thereafter.
- •Do not write “epic trail” or “Sahyadri trail” on their own.
- •HikeX — one word, capital H and X. Stands for Hiking Information and Knowledge Exchange.
- •Attribute all imagery as “Courtesy: HikeX.”
- •EST is a project of HikeX — please name both where relevant.
- •Manav’s full name is “Manvendr Singh Shekawat” — do not mis-spell as “Manvendra”.
- •The trail is 1,724 km. The expedition walked 2,033 km. These are different numbers — please don't use the expedition figure to describe the trail.
Media enquiries
For interviews, speaking requests, media enquiries or additional information, get in touch.