Είμαστε ταξιδιώτες που ερωτεύτηκαν το Παλαουάν — και αποφάσισαν να το προστατεύσουν
Μια γαλλοαμερικανική οικογένεια που διοργανώνει εκδρομές για μικρές ομάδες για να χρηματοδοτήσει την εκπαίδευση των παιδιών και να διατηρήσει τη θαλάσσια ζωή που κάνει αυτό το μέρος εξαιρετικό.
"We didn't start Tour Z to build a business.
We started it because we were on the wrong boat — and so was everyone else.
"
It Started with the Wrong Tour
Johann came to Palawan the same way most travellers do — with a list of things he'd dreamed about for years. Swimming with whale sharks. Snorkelling reefs nobody else had found. Watching dolphins behave like dolphins, not like performers.
What he found instead was a 35-person bangka, a two-hour crossing in the heat, and a ten-minute window in overcrowded water before being waved back on board. He saw whale sharks being herded toward food scraps. He watched guides gesture tourists toward turtles nesting on beaches.
He didn't blame anyone. He just quietly decided that if the tour he wanted didn't exist in Palawan, he was going to build it.
That was the beginning of Tour Z. But the story didn't stay about tours for long.
Living in Palawan, Johann and his family — Sarah, Dylan, and Parker — got close to the communities around Port Barton and Puerto Princesa. They saw children who couldn't afford school fees. They learned how fast the turtle population was declining. They understood that the ocean these tours depended on was the same ocean locals depended on to survive.
Tour Z became something bigger than a tour company. It became the mechanism through which a small family tries to leave Palawan better than they found it.
"We aren't trying to be the biggest tour operator in Palawan. We're trying to be the one you remember — for the right reasons."
— Johann, FounderThree Reasons Tour Z Exists
A tour company that exists for three reasons — not one of them is profit alone.
Giving Local Children Access to Education
The communities that surround Port Barton and Puerto Princesa are among the most beautiful in the Philippines — and among the most underserved. Many families here cannot afford the school fees, uniforms, and supplies that stand between their children and a proper education.
A portion of every Tour Z booking goes directly toward covering these costs. Not as a marketing line. As a personal commitment made by a family who lives alongside these communities and sees the gap every day.
We believe that the ocean brings visitors here, and that visitors can — without doing anything extra — help the children who live by that same ocean have a better future. Every tour you take with us is part of that chain.
Protecting Sea Turtles and Whale Sharks
Palawan is one of the last places on earth where you can encounter whale sharks in truly wild conditions and watch sea turtles nest on beaches they've returned to for decades. That is not guaranteed to last. Tourism — done badly — is one of the primary threats to both species.
At Turtle Point in Port Barton, we practice passive observation only. No chasing, no handling, no getting between a turtle and the water. At the whale shark zone in Puerto Princesa, we follow strict no-feeding, no-contact protocols — not because a regulation requires it, but because it's the right thing to do.
We also actively support turtle protection efforts in Port Barton — monitoring nesting sites and contributing to local conservation initiatives. When you choose Tour Z over an operator who baits sharks or lets guests grab turtles, you are casting a vote for what wildlife tourism in Palawan should look like.
Building the Tour We Always Wanted as Travellers
We have been on the bad tours. We know what it feels like to spend three hours travelling to a reef, get pushed into the water with thirty strangers, and be back on the boat before you've had time to look around properly. We know what it's like to watch a guide steer a bangka directly into a pod of dolphins.
Tour Z exists to demonstrate that doing things properly is not incompatible with running a successful business. Small groups. Counter-clockwise routes that beat the crowds to every stop. Quiet engines that don't scatter wildlife. Drone footage that captures what you actually experienced rather than a blurry phone video. Guides who explain what you're seeing rather than just pointing at it.
We are travellers running tours for travellers. That changes everything about how decisions get made — from the route to the lunch to the number of seats on the boat.
The Family Behind the Boat
Tour Z is built and run by a French-American family living in Palawan. We set the standards, hire from the community, and stay close to every detail — even when we're not the ones holding the rope at the pier.
Our guides, crew, and support team are local people from Port Barton and Puerto Princesa — many of them from the same communities our education programme serves. Giving someone a reliable job is as meaningful as paying a school fee. It keeps families stable, keeps knowledge of the ocean local, and means every Tour Z departure is led by people who genuinely know and love this place. We don't just talk about community support. We pay for it every time we run a tour.
How We Protect the Animals
Not as a policy document. As a description of what actually happens on our boats, every single departure.
Sea Turtle Protection
Port Barton — Turtle PointSea turtles have been returning to the same feeding grounds and nesting beaches in Port Barton for longer than any of us have been alive. Increased boat traffic, guests who try to touch or ride turtles, and loud engines have measurably affected their behaviour in recent years.
At Turtle Point, our approach is simple: we observe, we don't interfere.
Whale Shark Conservation
Puerto Princesa — Open OceanWhale sharks ( Rhincodon typus ) are a vulnerable species. They migrate through Puerto Princesa's plankton-rich waters naturally — and that migration pattern is directly disrupted by feeding-based tourism, which conditions sharks to stay in one place waiting for food rather than moving through their natural range.
We locate whale sharks using plankton bloom tracking and sea bird observation — the same methods used by marine researchers. No bait. No chum. No food trail.
Every Tour Helps a Child Stay in School
Not a donation button. Not a charity partnership. A direct, personal commitment from a family that knows the children by name.
The Reality on the Ground
In the communities surrounding Port Barton and Puerto Princesa, school attendance isn't guaranteed. Fees are small by any international standard — but for fishing families and local guides who depend on seasonal income, they can be the difference between a child in a classroom and a child working instead. We cover those fees. Directly. Because we know who needs it.
School Fees & Supplies
The most immediate barrier to education here isn't willingness — it's cost. We fund tuition fees, school uniforms, books, and basic supplies for children in the communities we operate in. No bureaucracy, no middlemen — we know the families personally.
A Long-Term Commitment
This isn't a one-off campaign we run in December. It's built into how Tour Z operates year-round. The more tours we run, the more children we can support. When you choose Tour Z over a cheaper competitor, part of that difference goes directly toward keeping a child in school.
Community-Led, Not Charity-Led
We don't impose solutions. We listen to local families about what their children need, and we provide it. The families around Port Barton and Puerto Princesa are not passive recipients — they are the reason Tour Z exists in the first place, and we are guests in their home.
Why This Matters to Us Personally
We have children ourselves. We understand what a stable education means for a child's life. Living alongside families in Palawan who love their children just as much but face barriers we never had to face — doing nothing felt impossible. So we did something small. And then we kept doing it.
How Your Booking Creates Impact
Every step of the chain is real.
What You Can Expect When You Book With Us
"We'd love to welcome you into the Tour Z family and share the beauty of Palawan's waters the way we believe it should be experienced — slow, thoughtful, and unforgettable."
— Johann, Sarah, Dylan & ParkerCome and See Palawan the Right Way
Two experiences. One family. Three reasons it matters.
Whale Shark Tour
Puerto Princesa · 2-in-1 · Speedboat · Drone video
Island Hopping
Port Barton · 6 stops · Counter-clockwise · All fees
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