Kad smo stigli u kamp, odmah smo tražili mjesto za šator blizu vode.

Because Croatian past tense normally needs:

• an auxiliary verb: smo = we are/have (used here as part of the past tense)
• a past participle: stigli = arrived

So smo stigli means we arrived / we have arrived.

Kad smo stigli = When we arrived

Without smo, the clause would be incomplete in standard Croatian.

Because there are two separate past-tense actions:

1. smo stigli = we arrived
2. smo tražili = we looked for / were looking for

So the sentence is built from two clauses:

• Kad smo stigli u kamp = When we arrived at the camp
• odmah smo tražili mjesto za šator... = we immediately looked for a place for the tent...

Each past-tense verb phrase needs its own auxiliary.

Stigli and tražili are past participles, and their endings agree with the subject.

Here the subject is we = mi, and the form used is the masculine plural / mixed-group plural form:

• stigli
• tražili

This is the default plural form if the group includes at least one male, or if the speaker is using the standard mixed-group form.

If the speakers were all female, you would usually hear:

• Kad smo stigle u kamp, odmah smo tražile...

So the -li ending here tells you the subject is plural, in the masculine/mixed form.

Because Croatian distinguishes between:

• motion toward a place
• location in a place

With u:

• u + accusative = movement into/to
• u + locative = being in

Here, stigli u kamp means arrived at/to the camp, so it uses the accusative:

• u kamp

Compare:

• Stigli smo u kamp. = We arrived at the camp.
• Bili smo u kampu. = We were in the camp.

So u kamp is used because the sentence describes arrival/movement.

Mjesto is in the accusative singular, because it is the direct object of tražili (looked for).

We ask:

• Što smo tražili? = What did we look for?
• mjesto = a place / spot

For this noun, the nominative and accusative singular look the same:

• nominative: mjesto
• accusative: mjesto

That is very common with neuter nouns.

Here za means something like for.

So:

• mjesto za šator = a place for a tent
• more naturally in English: a place for the tent / a tent spot / a place to put the tent

This is a very common Croatian pattern:

• vrijeme za ručak = time for lunch
• karta za koncert = ticket for the concert
• mjesto za auto = a place for the car / parking spot

After za in this meaning, Croatian usually uses the accusative, so:

• šator is accusative singular here

Since šator is masculine inanimate, its accusative singular is the same as the nominative:

• nominative: šator
• accusative: šator

Because blizu normally takes the genitive case.

So:

• voda = nominative (water)
• vode = genitive singular

That is why you get:

• blizu vode = near the water

Other examples:

• blizu kuće = near the house
• blizu mora = near the sea
• blizu grada = near the city

This is an important pattern to remember: blizu + genitive.

Odmah means immediately / right away.

It shows that the second action happened as soon as they arrived:

• Kad smo stigli u kamp, odmah smo tražili...
• When we arrived at the camp, we immediately looked for...

It often appears near the beginning of the clause, but Croatian word order is fairly flexible. For example, these are all possible, though some may sound more natural depending on context:

• Odmah smo tražili mjesto...
• Smo odmah tražili mjesto... (less natural in neutral style)
• Tražili smo odmah mjesto... (possible, but different emphasis)

The sentence you have is a very natural neutral order.

Because Kad smo stigli u kamp is a subordinate time clause:

• Kad... = When...

In Croatian, just like in English, a subordinate clause placed before the main clause is normally separated by a comma.

So:

• Kad smo stigli u kamp, odmah smo tražili...

This is standard punctuation.

It can often be translated either way, depending on context.

Tražiti is an imperfective verb, so it describes an ongoing process, repeated action, or general activity rather than a single completed search result.

In this sentence, odmah smo tražili mjesto za šator suggests:

• we immediately looked for a place for the tent
• or we immediately started looking for a place for the tent

In natural English, looked for is usually the simplest translation, but the Croatian verb also carries the idea of the activity itself, not necessarily its completion.

If the focus were on successfully finding a place, Croatian might use a different verb, such as našli smo (we found).

Because Croatian has no articles like English a/an/the.

So words like:

• kamp can mean camp / the camp
• mjesto can mean a place / the place
• šator can mean a tent / the tent
• voda can mean water / the water

The exact meaning depends on context.

So mjesto za šator blizu vode can be understood as:

• a place for the tent near the water
• a place for a tent near the water

English has to choose an article, but Croatian usually does not mark that distinction directly.

Yes, kamp is a normal and common word in Croatian, especially for a campsite or camping area.

So:

• u kamp = to the campsite / camp
• u kampu = in the campsite / camp

Depending on context, Croatian speakers may also use related expressions, but kamp is perfectly natural here.

Just be careful with the case change:

• motion: u kamp
• location: u kampu

That contrast is more important than the vocabulary choice itself.