The nearest town is Daocheng, which has an airport (Daocheng Yading Airport, at 4,411 metres — one of the highest commercial airports in the world) with flights from Chengdu taking about 90 minutes. The flight itself, descending over a plateau ringed by snowpeaks, is worth booking a window seat for. From Daocheng, private vehicles reach the park entrance in about an hour; taxis and shared minibuses are available at the airport.
Overland from Chengdu, the journey takes two to three days via Kangding and Litang, following the southern Sichuan-Tibet Highway. This route is one of the most dramatic road journeys in China and is worthwhile in itself — the landscape between Litang and Daocheng is high plateau grassland interrupted by sudden gorges. By bus the same route takes three days with overnight stops. The park entrance fee is ¥270 and internal shuttle buses within the reserve add ¥50 to ¥90.