Located at the mouth of the Albas river, to the south of Cabrera Sierra, Carboneras is situated in one of the most beautiful places along the Almerian coast. In ancient times, the treeless mountains that today surround the city were once abounding with large, leafy trees. A few men with economic power took advantage of the situation and constructed, in what was called Cabezo de la Carbonera, ovens in order to process coal. This is why the area appears as it does today: arid and sparsely vegetated. When the coal ran out, the town became an active fishing port.

The beauty of this attractive city lies in the strong contrast between the mountainous and arid terrain that surrounds it and the deep blue of the Mediterranean that bathes its beaches. Carboneras possesses a typical Arabic architectural style; for example, the Casa del Laberinto (Labyrinth House), located in front of Marinicas beach. Close by, there are some majestic houses from the 19th century, such as that of the Fuentes. Near the port, the castle of San Andrés, built by the Marquis of El Carpio in the 16th century, still overlooks the coastline, on which exist several other watchtowers, such as the Rayo ('Ray').