A galaxy far, far away? No, it's Ethiopia! Photographer risks life to capture otherworldly beauty of African sulphur springs

·        Sulphur springs in Dallol, Ethiopia look as if they could be from a Sci-Fi film

·        The Afar region is known for its hills of solid salt and yellow and deep brown terrain

·        New Zealand photographer took on oppressive heat of up to 53 degrees Celsius to capture landscapes 

·        Once underwater, the spring is below sea level and has a high salt concentration

Despite looking like it could be from a far off galaxy in a Sci-Fi film, this landscape is a natural sulphur spring in Ethiopia.

With its vibrant yellows and deep dark browns the ground appears as though it could be home to some sort extra-terrestrial life form but is just created by high levels of salt.

Neat hills of solid salt rise nearly as tall as the mounds of dirt next to them.

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This otherworldly landscape is really a natural sulphur spring in Dallol, Ethopia

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Created by high levels of salt, the ground appears as though it could be home to extraterrestrial life forms

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New Zealand-based photographer, Bradley Ambrose, captured these impressive sights 

Photographer Bradley Ambrose, from New Zealand, battled oppressive heats up to 53 degrees Celsius to capture these landscapes in the Afar region of Dallol, Ethiopia. 

Bradley said: 'Experiencing Dallol is like stepping onto another planet.'

And like a trip to space, this otherworldly destination can also cause distress to its visitors.  

'The heat, sulphur, acidic waters and some of the ground was quite thin to the point where I thought I would break through and boil myself to death,' he added.

'There was so much colour and beauty that I wasn't sure that I could do it justice photographically.'

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Battling intense heats of up to 53 degrees Celsius, Bradley ventured to the Afar region to shoot

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'It's like stepping onto another planet,' Bradley said of visiting the springs

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 Although it may look like a lake, the salt ground is actually several kilometres deep in places

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Though Bradley is from Rotorua, where they have their own springs, he was struck by the beauty in Dallol

Bradley is from Rotorua in New Zealand where they have their own geothermal springs, but was still taken aback by the Ethiopian landscape.

He said: 'Due to its high salt levels and other minerals, Dallol was an extremely concentrated area of micro activity and was definitely brighter and more varied than what I've seen before.'

'There is a high concentration of salt as the entire area is lower than sea level and was once upon a time underwater.'

'We were told that the 'lakes' we drove across to get there [were made of] salt that was kilometres deep in places.'

'Besides the searing heat, the first thing that I noticed was the smell - very similar to rotting eggs, which reminded me of my childhood playing in Rotorua.'

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'I thought I would break through the ground and boil myself to death, he says of the treacherous conditions

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The springs were once underwater, which helps to explain the low sea level and high salt concentrations

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Pictured: a soldier admiring the hot springs from atop a mound of dirt and rock