Hollywood actress Kerry Washington praises Uganda after life-changing trip

Hollywood actress Kerry Washington has opened up about her life-changing experience in Uganda, saying how being in the East African country made her feel accepted and at home.

While speaking at the Breakfast Club, a highly-rated US morning radio show, the 'Scandal' star reminisced about her stay in Uganda, adding that her treks in the Ruwenzori mountains were some of the most memorable moments of her life.

"In America, we all go to Africa like, 'Do I feel home, do I belong here, what is my relationship here'? " she said. "I had to drop all that aside because my focus was becoming a Ugandan woman. I really did feel like home there. I felt so lucky to be able to be so immersed in the culture. I wasn't there like a tourist."

The Emmy-nominated actress further delved into her experience with Ugandan gorillas, adding that the encounter opened her up on humans amazing similarities with the primates.

"We were hiking in the Ruwenzori mountains, which is where Uganda borders Rwanda and which is the only place where wild gorillas live and you can go out with a gorilla tracker and find gorillas in the jungle and spend time with them," she said.

"People travel from all over the world to have this experience. It was one of the most intense spiritual experiences I've ever had."

Kelly also shared that she was amazed that humans share '98% of their DNA' with gorillas, saying, "You start to think that, 'Oh, they're so human, but no, we are so gorilla!"

The actress, who recently hit the headlines after revealing that she was conceived via a sperm donor, is currently busy promoting her memoir' Thicker than Water ', in which she revealed deep family secrets as well as personal struggles, such as facing her insecurities and being what she wants and not what she thinks others want her to be.