diff --git a/changelog/unreleased/kong/bump_dns_stale_ttl.yml b/changelog/unreleased/kong/bump_dns_stale_ttl.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..43ed55cb079
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelog/unreleased/kong/bump_dns_stale_ttl.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+message: Bump `dns_stale_ttl` default to 1 hour so stale DNS record can be used for longer time in case of resolver downtime.
+type: performance
+scope: Configuration
diff --git a/kong.conf.default b/kong.conf.default
index 0eb1e02d75b..f5a53590191 100644
--- a/kong.conf.default
+++ b/kong.conf.default
@@ -1522,7 +1522,7 @@
                                  # property receives a value (in seconds), it
                                  # will override the TTL for all records.
 
-#dns_stale_ttl = 4               # Defines, in seconds, how long a record will
+#dns_stale_ttl = 3600            # Defines, in seconds, how long a record will
                                  # remain in cache past its TTL. This value
                                  # will be used while the new DNS record is
                                  # fetched in the background.
@@ -1530,6 +1530,8 @@
                                  # record until either the refresh query
                                  # completes, or the `dns_stale_ttl` number of
                                  # seconds have passed.
+                                 # This configuration enables Kong to be more
+                                 # resilient during resolver downtime.
 
 #dns_cache_size = 10000          # Defines the maximum allowed number of
                                  # DNS records stored in memory cache.
diff --git a/kong/templates/kong_defaults.lua b/kong/templates/kong_defaults.lua
index c2824519292..eb6db07ae27 100644
--- a/kong/templates/kong_defaults.lua
+++ b/kong/templates/kong_defaults.lua
@@ -155,7 +155,7 @@ dns_resolver = NONE
 dns_hostsfile = /etc/hosts
 dns_order = LAST,SRV,A,CNAME
 dns_valid_ttl = NONE
-dns_stale_ttl = 4
+dns_stale_ttl = 3600
 dns_cache_size = 10000
 dns_not_found_ttl = 30
 dns_error_ttl = 1