diff --git a/waku/v2/rendezvous/rendezvous.go b/waku/v2/rendezvous/rendezvous.go
index f43b8214..7c2b5f29 100644
--- a/waku/v2/rendezvous/rendezvous.go
+++ b/waku/v2/rendezvous/rendezvous.go
@@ -5,11 +5,13 @@ import (
 	"fmt"
 	"math"
 	"math/rand"
+	"sort"
 	"sync"
 	"time"
 
 	"github.com/libp2p/go-libp2p/core/host"
 	"github.com/libp2p/go-libp2p/core/peer"
+	"github.com/libp2p/go-libp2p/p2p/discovery/backoff"
 	rvs "github.com/waku-org/go-libp2p-rendezvous"
 	v2 "github.com/waku-org/go-waku/waku/v2"
 	"github.com/waku-org/go-waku/waku/v2/peers"
@@ -24,6 +26,9 @@ type rendezvousPoint struct {
 
 	id     peer.ID
 	cookie []byte
+
+	bkf     backoff.BackoffStrategy
+	nextTry time.Time
 }
 
 type PeerConnector interface {
@@ -49,10 +54,17 @@ type Rendezvous struct {
 func NewRendezvous(enableServer bool, db *DB, rendezvousPoints []peer.ID, peerConnector PeerConnector, log *zap.Logger) *Rendezvous {
 	logger := log.Named("rendezvous")
 
+	rngSrc := rand.NewSource(rand.Int63())
+	minBackoff, maxBackoff := time.Second*30, time.Hour
+	bkf := backoff.NewExponentialBackoff(minBackoff, maxBackoff, backoff.FullJitter, time.Second, 5.0, 0, rand.New(rngSrc))
+
 	var rendevousPoints []*rendezvousPoint
+	now := time.Now()
 	for _, rp := range rendezvousPoints {
 		rendevousPoints = append(rendevousPoints, &rendezvousPoint{
-			id: rp,
+			id:      rp,
+			nextTry: now,
+			bkf:     bkf(),
 		})
 	}
 
@@ -91,8 +103,40 @@ func (r *Rendezvous) Start(ctx context.Context) error {
 const registerBackoff = 200 * time.Millisecond
 const registerMaxRetries = 7
 
-func (r *Rendezvous) getRandomServer() *rendezvousPoint {
-	return r.rendezvousPoints[rand.Intn(len(r.rendezvousPoints))] // nolint: gosec
+func (r *Rendezvous) getRandomRendezvousPoint(ctx context.Context) <-chan *rendezvousPoint {
+	var dialableRP []*rendezvousPoint
+	now := time.Now()
+	for _, rp := range r.rendezvousPoints {
+		if now.After(rp.NextTry()) {
+			dialableRP = append(dialableRP, rp)
+		}
+	}
+
+	result := make(chan *rendezvousPoint, 1)
+
+	if len(dialableRP) > 0 {
+		result <- r.rendezvousPoints[rand.Intn(len(r.rendezvousPoints))] // nolint: gosec
+	} else {
+		if len(r.rendezvousPoints) > 0 {
+			sort.Slice(r.rendezvousPoints, func(i, j int) bool {
+				return r.rendezvousPoints[i].nextTry.Before(r.rendezvousPoints[j].nextTry)
+			})
+
+			tryIn := r.rendezvousPoints[0].NextTry().Sub(now)
+			timer := time.NewTimer(tryIn)
+			defer timer.Stop()
+
+			select {
+			case <-ctx.Done():
+				break
+			case <-timer.C:
+				result <- r.rendezvousPoints[0]
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
+	close(result)
+	return result
 }
 
 func (r *Rendezvous) Discover(ctx context.Context, topic string, numPeers int) {
@@ -100,23 +144,22 @@ func (r *Rendezvous) Discover(ctx context.Context, topic string, numPeers int) {
 		select {
 		case <-ctx.Done():
 			return
-		default:
-			server := r.getRandomServer()
+		case server, ok := <-r.getRandomRendezvousPoint(ctx):
+			if !ok {
+				return
+			}
 
 			rendezvousClient := rvs.NewRendezvousClient(r.host, server.id)
 
 			addrInfo, cookie, err := rendezvousClient.Discover(ctx, topic, numPeers, server.cookie)
 			if err != nil {
 				r.log.Error("could not discover new peers", zap.Error(err))
-				cookie = nil
-				// TODO: add backoff strategy
-				// continue
+				server.Delay()
+				continue
 			}
 
 			if len(addrInfo) != 0 {
-				server.Lock()
-				server.cookie = cookie
-				server.Unlock()
+				server.SetSuccess(cookie)
 
 				peerCh := make(chan v2.PeerData)
 				r.peerConnector.Subscribe(context.Background(), peerCh)
@@ -135,8 +178,7 @@ func (r *Rendezvous) Discover(ctx context.Context, topic string, numPeers int) {
 				}
 				close(peerCh)
 			} else {
-				// TODO: improve this by adding an exponential backoff?
-				time.Sleep(5 * time.Second)
+				server.Delay()
 			}
 		}
 	}
@@ -209,3 +251,24 @@ func (r *Rendezvous) Stop() {
 func ShardToNamespace(cluster uint16, shard uint16) string {
 	return fmt.Sprintf("rs/%d/%d", cluster, shard)
 }
+
+func (rp *rendezvousPoint) Delay() {
+	rp.Lock()
+	defer rp.Unlock()
+
+	rp.nextTry = time.Now().Add(rp.bkf.Delay())
+}
+
+func (rp *rendezvousPoint) SetSuccess(cookie []byte) {
+	rp.Lock()
+	defer rp.Unlock()
+
+	rp.bkf.Reset()
+	rp.cookie = cookie
+}
+
+func (rp *rendezvousPoint) NextTry() time.Time {
+	rp.RLock()
+	defer rp.RUnlock()
+	return rp.nextTry
+}