The traveler _ a long detour to water the camels.

Explanation

The word "took" means to undertake or perform an action, which is the appropriate verb to use in this sentence to convey that the traveller acted by taking a detour to water the crops "Sought" means to look for, which does not make sense in this context. "Saw" means to perceive with the eyes, which is not appropriate in this sentence. "Made" means to create or construct something, which is not relevant to the sentence.