Tengchong is served by Tengchong Tuofeng Airport, which has flights to Kunming (about an hour), and also connections to several other major Chinese cities including Chengdu, Beijing, and Shanghai. From Kunming by air is the most straightforward approach. The overland journey from Kunming by expressway takes around seven hours by bus or car; buses run from Kunming's various long-distance stations. There is no train to Tengchong itself, though a railway is under construction.
From Dali or Baoshan, buses connect in around three to four hours. The road from Baoshan to Tengchong passes through handsome mountain scenery. Travellers coming from the northwest Yunnan circuit (Lijiang, Shangrila) face a longer journey via Baoshan; this is possible as part of a circular tour of Yunnan but requires a full day's travel in each direction.