Fanjingshan is most directly reached from Tongren, 90 kilometres to the northeast. Daily tourist buses run from Tongren's tourist bus station to the Jiangkou base area; the journey takes about two hours. From Guiyang, you can reach Tongren by high-speed rail (about 1.5 hours) and connect to the tourist bus from there.
The base area at Jiangkou has the ticket office, cable car terminus, and the start of the hiking trails. The entry ticket covers transport from the park gate to the cable car base. The cable car reduces the ascent time considerably and is worth the additional cost for most visitors; the full hiking ascent from the base takes a full day and requires good fitness.
Allow a minimum of a full day for a cable car visit to the summit. An overnight stay at the base area or in Jiangkou town gives access to early morning light on the mountain, when the mist conditions are best, before the main wave of day-trip visitors arrives.