In the battle of the YouTube all-stars, Battle at Kruger reigned supreme, snagging the 2007 YouTube Video Award in the Eyewitness category.

I watched the 8-minute opus for the first time this weekend, and (like 27 million others before me) sat glued to my computer screen as lions stalked a buffalo calf, battled a crocodile for it, and staged a Sharks-Jets-style showdown when the young buffalo’s herd returned. And the most amazing part of all? The gnawed-on calf survives the tug-o-war.

Photo courtesy of IgoUgo member sjmclaughlin

The video, shot in South Africa’s Kruger National Park in 2004, is a captivating amateur travel video, one that caught even the eyes of National Geographic Channel and ABC News.

In the spirit of the awards, I thought I’d give a virtual toast to the other travel videos that transported me to new places—or made me smile—this year, since travel is not yet a category in the YouTube version. So here’s to you:

-Davey Dance Blog, especially when you rocked out on the New York City subway. The MTA has never been so much fun.

-Samsung Mobile and SX Media, for encouraging people to dance for cameras in 10 European cities. I challenge anyone to watch this video and not feel like dancing.

-Pluto the man-dog—you made Disney World fun again with your completely inappropriate chase scene.

-Driver who condensed a cross-country trip into 4 minutes flat. The drive from LA to New York is ridiculously creative, and much less moldy than the video of the time-lapse tomato.

-Improv Everywhere, for the awesome Grand Central freeze stunt that’s swept the Web (I even prefer it to their “no-pants” subway ride videos).

-Planes, specifically the Lufthansa jet shown in the horrifying runway video with a happy ending. The tape, which shows an aborted landing during a violent wind storm, is the kind of footage that makes you feel lucky to be alive, and on solid ground.

It's amazing to me the range of emotions, and places, readily available via YouTube. Are there others that I've missed?